British traveller Wendy Smyth flew to Malaga Airport where where she highlighted the Spanish hotspot’s new Entry/Exit System, which has been rolled out across the European Union
A British woman has shared her EES experience at Malaga Airport (Image: minemero via Getty Images)
A British traveller has revealed the “reality” of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) affecting all visitors heading to destinations within the Schengen zone of the European Union. The scheme, which has been running since October in certain locations, is progressively being implemented throughout the continent.
The EES is an automated IT platform for registering non-EU nationals travelling for short-term visits. Each time they pass through the external frontiers of these nations, it logs when visitors arrive and depart. Eventually the new system will substitute passport stamps with a digital framework, accelerating border procedures and enabling personnel to operate more effectively.
Wendy Smyth, who is from Northern Ireland, recently tested the EES while travelling to Malaga. She turned to TikTok, where she displayed a heavily congested airport in the Spanish tourism hotspot.
“Before you reach Passport Control, if you’re a UK national, you will need to register your biometrics on the system,” she clarified. “There’s plenty of staff around to help you do this, and it involves taking your picture, taking your fingerprints and other information.”
Wendy proceeded to note the EES is anticipated to be completely functional throughout the whole Schengen area from tomorrow (April 10).
“There’s plenty of signage around Malaga Airport,” she added, before emphasising how passengers are subsequently divided into two channels before Passport Control – consisting of EU and non-EU citizens.
“If you’re unsure, there is a map beforehand, which will show you if you are a ‘blue country’ or not, what lane you should go in and likewise for ‘brown countries’,” Wendy explained.
The queues presented a stark contrast. The left-hand side – designated for non-EU citizens – looked extraordinarily lengthy, while EU nationals were breezing through their lane effortlessly.
“You’re held in this queue before you get to the ramp to go through into Passport Control,” Wendy warned. “This is what may greet you whenever you go through those glass doors. “If you’re an EU citizen you are able to walk down past everyone on the ramp and go to this empty space where the E-Gates are now operational – so be prepared – you may have to wait some time before you get through Passport Control.”
Responding online, one TikTok user declared in disbelief: “I think this will put a lot of people off travelling.”
Another person expressed their annoyance: “I had my fingerprints and photo taken in Poland but arrived in Spain today and it didn’t recognise my passport.”
A third vented: “Bet you lot who voted from Brexit back in the day are happy, this is what we need to deal with now.”
While a fourth recounted their Malaga experience: “We went through Malaga on Tuesday and was through passport control in 15 mins. Seen the queues on TikTok and we had nothing!”
The countries in the Schengen area are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not within the Schengen area, and therefore EES is not applicable when travelling to either of these countries.
