Queues of up to three or four hours are at odds with holiday relaxation. The worst airport delays created by the EU’s new border rules can be avoided completely or reduced by following one of these five simple rules.
Choose an alternative Europe country
The Entry/Exit System (EES) applies for travel to 29 European countries in the Schengen Area and came into full operation on 10 April, with some caveats. When working in full, it involves a border force officer or EES booth recording when and where a third-country traveller is entering or exiting the Schengen Area and taking their photograph and fingerprints. “Third country” refers to non-EU, non-Schengen travellers who are eligible for EES, which includes British passport holders. After a traveller has been registered for EES, their photograph, fingerprints, or both, should be matched against the previous records on subsequent visits to the bloc.
The easiest way to avoid the EES queues, while still travelling to other parts of Europe, is to go to a country where these rules don’t apply.
Ireland and Cyprus are not in Schengen, and so EES is not in force, but there are other, non-EU or non-Schengen countries to consider. Among them are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. To avoid EES while travelling to these, the passengers must fly into and out of an airport in those countries – rather than, for example, flying to Croatia and taking a boat to Montenegro.
This opens up many tempting options. EasyJet holidays has a seven-night B&B package, flying from Luton to Tivat in Montenegro and staying at Voco Podgorica from £763pp, departing 9 August. The price is based on two adults sharing a double room. Alternatively, it offers a seven-night B&B stay at Hotel La Mer in Tivat with return flights from Manchester on 26 July from £850pp for two adults.
North Macedonia’s Lake Ohrid is a good-value escape. Tui has a seven-night, half-board package at Tino Sveti Stefan Hotel with return flights from Manchester for £768pp departing on 2 August, based on a stay for two adults.
Go to Sweden with the EES app
Sweden and Portugal are the only counties allowing passengers to pre-register for EES on the Travel to Europe app, and only Sweden is using it in full. The Swedish Police Authority, which is responsible for the control of passengers crossing Sweden’s borders, said that there is a time saving of around 20–23 seconds per passenger if a person pre-registers on the app. It takes around five to 10 minutes to register, which includes scanning your passport, taking a selfie, providing details of your journey and answering a few questions. The app can be downloaded onto a smartphone.
Take a round-trip cruise from the UK to destinations such as the French Riviera to skip the queues (Photo: Getty)Cruise from the UK
Britons taking a cruise to the continent and departing from and returning to the UK by cruise ship, are not typically subject to EES checks. This is the case for any cruise itinerary that starts and ends outside of Schengen. That said, the UK Government advises that EES checks are at the discretion of port authorities. Several lines are offering round-trip cruises from the UK to Europe with availability this summer. Among the best value is Ambassador’s 12-night sailing from Southampton to Iceland on 13 June with fares for an inside cabin starting from £1,199pp or P&O Cruises seven-night Spain and France voyage, also from Southampton, departing 16 July and with inside cabin fares from £759pp.
Go to Greece
Greece has told British passport holders that they will not be subject to biometric checks at the Greek border. It made the announcement despite the rules of EES only allowing for temporary suspension and not for the suspension of rules for specific nationalities. It’s a boost for British travellers, though, who are Greece’s biggest visitor group. In 2024, tourism’s direct and indirect contribution to the Greek economy was almost 34 per cent of GDP.
British passport holders have reported that biometric checks were not carried out when they arrived in Greece. Among them was Nick Ward, who arrived in Athens on 16 April. He didn’t have his photo or fingerprints taken for EES. He was one of several posting similar stories on Facebook page dedicated to travel in Greece.
Britons are taking note of Greece’s relaxed approach. Oliver’s Travels, which offers villa rentals in Europe and further afield, has seen villa holiday searches for Greece increase by 30 per cent month-on-month.
“Greece has always been a favourite with our customers, and with travel now feeling more straightforward again, we expect it to be one of the standout destinations this summer,” said Jo Grimwood, product manager for Greece at Oliver’s Travels.
Chania in Crete could feature on a holiday to Greece, which has suspended biometric checks for British passport holders (Photo: Getty)Take the Eurostar off-peak
Border control is juxtaposed at UK and French ports, meaning French border officers carry out their checks in the UK for passengers departing to France, and vice-versa. But due to technical issues with EES kiosks, biometric checks are not being carried out for car passengers at Dover, for LeShuttle passengers departing from Folkestone or for Eurostar passengers travelling from St Pancras. While passengers at Dover and Folkestone are at the mercy of traffic on UK roads, Eurostar passengers can make the most of off-peak travel times and fewer checks compared to those faced at Schengen airports. Mid-week trains, outside of commuter hours, tend to be among the quietest.
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