1 month ago
Some travellers passing done nan caller EU entry-exit strategy (EES) person faced immense delays astatine separator checks, pinch immoderate waiting for up to 3 hours, airports say.
The caller rules person gradually been introduced successful Europe since October 2025, and came into effect connected Friday successful nan Schengen countries – 25 of nan EU’s 27 states positive Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Hundreds of group responded to a Guardian online callout to stock their experiences of travelling to Europe since nan rules came into effect. Though immoderate said they had a problem-free journey, galore reported terrible delays, which person caused immoderate to miss their flights.
Travellers described problems pinch fingerprints not being accepted and further delays erstwhile travelling pinch children. Many said location was small guidance connected utilizing nan kiosks. Some besides said they had to repetition nan registration process connected each limb of their journey, contempt having already completed it, pinch nary explanations from unit – aliases nary unit disposable to ask.
Dave Giles, 47, an IT head from Raunds successful Northamptonshire, missed his formation location connected 12 April from Copenhagen, wherever he had been to a euphony show pinch his family, aft being caught successful agelong queues astatine passport power contempt arriving hours early.
“When they called nan gross and we sewage down towards passport control, location was a queue of astir apt 80 to 100 group successful beforehand of america and only 3 kiosks checking passports,” he said. “Before long, 1 of those closed.”
Staff appeared alert of nan issue, but were incapable to resoluteness it successful time. “A supervisor was making calls asking them to clasp nan gross open,” he said, but by nan clip he reached nan front, “the gross had been closed a fewer seconds earlier we arrived”.
The disruption near him importantly retired of pocket, forcing him to bargain caller flights for nan pursuing day, find accommodation for that nighttime and salary other parking charges astatine Stansted. He besides had to prosecute a car and thrust from Heathrow to Stansted, arsenic nan only disposable formation landed there. “We’ve sewage receipts for astir £1,800 – it’s astir apt complete £2,000 successful total. It’s highly frustrating.”
Giles said he did not expect to spot that money again. “Insurance won’t touch it. The hose said it wasn’t their fault,” he said, adding that he had emailed nan airport. “I’d beryllium amazed to get a reply from anybody.”
Georgia, from London, knowledgeable a four-hour hold connected presence astatine Pisa airdrome connected 10 April. “There were nary unit successful show to counsel connected waiting times,” she said.
For Georgia, who is 5 months pregnant, it was an arduous wait. “There were group pinch infants but nary typical assistance available, aliases immoderate seating. People successful nan backmost of nan queue became very hot, stuck successful a windowless corridor for hours.
“I sat connected nan level and had to show nan group astir maine I was pregnant and to springiness maine immoderate abstraction because I was almost fainting. They were handing retired water, but only erstwhile you sewage to nan very beforehand of nan queue, which was astir 4 hours in.”
She said she was now apprehensive astir travelling successful Europe again. “I was meant to alert to Paris this play pinch my husband, but I’ve cancelled nan travel conscionable because I couldn’t look it again. I person a travel to Greece coming up, but I saw that they’re now not pursuing nan caller system, which was astonishing news.”
Stuart MacLennan, 49, from Oban successful Scotland, recovered travelling pinch children peculiarly difficult. He flew from Glasgow to Málaga connected 11 April, wherever he was met pinch agelong queues arsenic a number of flights had arrived astatine nan aforesaid time. This hold was a “nightmare”, Stuart says.
He and his woman had to hold pinch their children, aged 1 and seven. “There was nary existent guidance arsenic to wherever to go,” he said. “After astir half an hour, we were moved into a different statement because we had children nether nan property of 12. We past queued for two-and-a-half hours earlier we yet sewage to passport control.”
His return travel from Málaga 4 days later was worse, pinch a queue of three-and-a-half hours for those pinch under-12s. Like Georgia, he wants to debar nan strategy successful future. “It would put maine disconnected travelling backmost to busier European airports,” he said.
Other travellers said nan self-service kiosks meant to beryllium utilized to process their registrations had been either not yet successful usage aliases not working.
Dylan Thomas, 23, an HR subordinate from Lincolnshire, knowledgeable delays utilizing nan strategy connected 2 caller trips. He said location had been a two-hour hold connected presence successful Madeira connected 15 March and connected his return travel from a solo travel to Brussels connected nan Eurostar connected 6 April.
“It was ridiculous,” he said. “There must person been astir 20 machines, but they each had integrative wrapping connected them and couldn’t beryllium utilized … There was only 1 personification manually checking everyone.”
Paul Coleman, a retired unpaid from Southend-on-Sea, said unit astatine Kraków airdrome successful early February had resorted to utilizing their ain mobile phones. He and his wife, Nicolette, faced a three-hour hold astatine passport control.
“The cameras connected nan machines weren’t working, truthful they sewage their mobile phones retired and took pictures of us. It was conscionable crazy,” he says. “There was nary mentation of what nan hold-up was, nary apology.”
Delays could person a peculiar effect connected aged people, said David, 75, from Durham. On a travel to Gran Canaria successful February, he was kept connected nan level for 30 minutes owed to nan queues astatine Fuerteventura airport. “The first azygous queue was huge, which everyone had to join, moreover those who had provided their biometrics previously. They should beryllium separate. Better signage, shown earlier, would velocity nan process up.
“They had a strategy wherever they herd non-EU passport holders into an area pinch solid partition walls. There’s not capable seats. You’ve sewage a batch of aged group standing, pinch nary toilet facilities. If you do person to spell to 1 of nan toilets successful nan different area, you get searched again. It really is simply a mess.”
He added: “The airlines look to person abdicated immoderate responsibility. They conscionable said: it’s your occupation to get to nan gate.”
“I deliberation nan overriding point is it’s inconsistent,. You’ve sewage nary thought what’s going to hap erstwhile you deed these airports.”
