Heathrow Airport alert for travellers heading to Spain, France and more

Heathrow Airport alert for travellers heading to Spain, France and more People heading to Europe for the summer are being warned to account for additional waits As the summer holidays near, many people will be excitedly looking forward to their big summer getaway in Europe. However, anyone heading for Spain, France, Greece and other Schengen areas have been issued a major warning from Heathrow Airport. Taking to X, the airport’s official account warned travellers to “be aware” of the additional wait times they might face at European airports this summer due to the rollout of the Entry/Exit System, or EES. The system’s implementation has already caused a bit of travel chaos this year with some passengers missing their flights because they were stuck in line. The EES is meant to replace the old manual system of stamping passports when non-EU citizens enter or leave Schengen countries. The new systems logs this travel digitally using biometric details like your fingerprints. In the long run, EES is meant to make passport control at airports smoother but currently, it is causing massive queues and wait times to travellers’ journeys. This is because it needs to register travellers with their biometric details. The process is free and travellers don’t need to do anything different before getting to the airport. However, travellers may need to account for the delay in getting to their boarding gate or they could risk missing their flight if the queue is too long. Official guidance on the Gov.uk website explains: “On your first visit to the Schengen area, you may be asked to create a digital record at the port or airport on arrival. You may be asked to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths. “You don’t need to provide any information before travelling to a Schengen area country. The checks may take slightly longer than previously, so be prepared to wait during busy times.” Countries in the Schengen area include: - 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 - Switzerland You might also be asked to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you exit a Schengen area. Your digital EES record is valid for 3 years. Some people are exempt from EES and won’t need to register. Instead they need to present their exempting documents to a border guard when they arrive at the border. People exempt from EES include: - Nationals of the European countries using the EES, as well as Cyprus and Ireland - Non-EU nationals who hold a residence card and are immediately related to an EU national - Non-EU nationals who hold a residence card or a residence permit and are immediately related to a non-EU national who can travel throughout Europe like an EU citizen - Non-EU nationals travelling to Europe as part of an intra-corporate transfer or for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au-pairing - Holders of residence permits and long-stay visas - Nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and holders of a passport issued by the Vatican City State or the Holy See - People holding a valid local border traffic permit - Crew members of passenger and goods trains on international connecting journeys. - People holding a valid Facilitated Rail Transit Document or valid Facilitated Transit Document, provided they travel by train and do not disembark anywhere within the territory of an EU Member State