Beat Europe’s New Biometric Lines: Smart Tips to Speed Through Passport Control
TL;DR
European airports are seeing longer lines due to the rollout of the Entry and Exit System (EES), which requires first-time visitors to scan passports, take a photo, and provide fingerprints. While lines should ease as more travelers complete registration, you can minimize delays by arriving early (4 hours before departure), allowing longer layovers (3+ hours for Schengen connections), and choosing arrival airports with shorter queues (Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Zurich) over hubs like Amsterdam, Paris CDG, Berlin, Krakow, Lisbon.
- Long Lines at European Airports Right Now: How To Avoid Them Upgraded Points
- How To Breeze Through Europe's New EES Border System This Summer Forbes
- New airport ESS border check delays and how to avoid them BBC
- New EU entry-exit system causing up to three-hour delays, say airports The Guardian
- EasyJet leaves 122 passengers behind due to EU entry-exit system chaos The Independent
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