New entry/exit system to be implemented for European countries, including Greece

The caller Entry/Exit System (EES) for European countries – including Greece – will beryllium afloat implemented from 10 April with airdrome and hose associations expressing concerns astir delays, astatine a clip when planetary travel is already experiencing aggravated turbulence owed to the war successful the Middle East.

The EES, which gradually began operating from 12 October 2025, is simply a caller automated borderline power system introduced by the European Union to registry third-country nationals (including holders of lone an Australian passport) travelling to astir European states for a abbreviated stay.

As the Greek embassy successful Australia pointed retired successful a station connected κοινωνικά media, the EES replaces the manual stamping of passports with integer and biometric information (such arsenic fingerprints and facial images).

• Who does it use to:

All third-country nationals (whether oregon not a Schengen visa is required), entering for a abbreviated stay — up to 90 days within immoderate 180-day play — successful EU and Schengen Zone countries participating successful the program.

• Participating countries:

The EES concerns Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Upon entering these countries for abbreviated stays, you whitethorn request to:

• have your fingerprints and photograph taken
• answer questions from the Schengen Borders Code (such arsenic intent of travel, magnitude of stay, fiscal means, wellness insurance, etc.)
• The EES will make a integer record that records your biometric data.
• You bash not request to take immoderate enactment earlier reaching the border, the Authorities constituent out, while registration successful the EES is free.
• Ireland and Cyprus will proceed manual stamping for the clip being.

Regarding the intent and benefits of this change, the European Authorities state the following:

• Replacement of manual passport stamping.
• More close calculation of the permitted clip of stay.
• Identification of those who transcend the permitted stay limit.
• Enhancing borderline information and combating individuality fraud.

More specifically, each European Union Member States will registry the information of third-country nationals (and holders of lone an Australian passport) crossing the outer borders for “short stays” (up to 90 days within 180 days). So with the EES, travel will go safer and smoother.

At borderline power points where physics registration systems will beryllium successful place, third-country nationals will person their passport data, biometric data, facial representation and fingerprints, and introduction and exit information registered successful the system.

The stamping of passports aft the six-month governmental implementation that began successful October 2025 is acceptable to stop aft 10 April 2026.

Therefore, the EES will beryllium implemented and operated astatine each passport power points astatine the EU’s outer borders and will beryllium replaced by physics registrations successful the system.

The EES “will assistance borderline guards corroborate that the idiosyncratic holding the passport is who they accidental they are and that their passport is real, not fake,” said Ashita Kanko, a subordinate of the European Parliament who had served arsenic the rapporteur connected the EES.

WORRY ABOUT DELAYS

Europe’s airports and airlines person again expressed concerns astir the interaction the implementation of the EES will person connected their operations, arsenic the transition signifier comes to an extremity conscionable successful clip for the highest travel play of the Easter holidays.

Olivier Jankovec, Director General of the European Region of the Airports Council International, and Ourania Georgoutsakou, CEO of Airlines for Europe (A4E), successful a associated statement noted:

“Passengers entering the Schengen Area are apt to wait adjacent longer astatine borderline controls implicit Easter, owed to ongoing operational challenges related to the implementation of the EES.”

Following the determination to mandatory registration of 50% of third-country nationals connected 10 March, the latest information collected from airports crossed Europe shows a continued deterioration successful waiting times astatine borderline crossing points.

Waiting times present regularly scope up to two hours astatine highest times, with some airports reporting adjacent longer queues.

This is contempt the continued use by Border Control Authorities of some partial and afloat suspension of EES procedures astatine astir airports during highest periods – measures that person proven indispensable to trim waiting times and support operational continuity.

With the attack of the adjacent captious milestones, airports and airlines are warning that the situation is astatine hazard of deteriorating further.

“In this context, Europe’s airports and airlines are expressing superior concerns not lone for the upcoming summertime season, but already for the coming weeks. The operation of afloat registration requirements and reduced operational flexibility is expected to enactment unprecedented unit connected borderline power operations.”

Therefore, airports and airlines, among others, reiterate their telephone connected the European Commission and Member States to urgently support the anticipation of a afloat suspension of EES procedures, arsenic a partial suspension unsocial will not beryllium sufficient to debar excessive delays.

They impulse policymakers and administrations not to see waiting times of 1 hr oregon much astatine the outer Schengen borders arsenic normal, which hazard becoming systemic and undermining the rider acquisition arsenic well arsenic the ratio of the European aerial transport system.

Airports and airlines reiterate their afloat support for the objectives of the EES to strengthen borderline absorption and security. However, they stress that its implementation indispensable beryllium operationally feasible and indispensable not beryllium astatine the disbursal of passengers and the smooth cognition of airports.

ETIAS

The caller rules for the EES travel into effect astir ten years aft they were archetypal projected by the European Commission.

The adjacent alteration successful narration to travel to European countries – and Greece – is the cognition of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which, aft a caller postponement, is expected to travel into unit successful the “last 4th of 2026”, according to the authoritative EU website.

“No enactment is required from travellers astatine this time. The European Union will supply accusation connected the nonstop start day of ETIAS respective months earlier its implementation,” it notes.

ETIAS is an physics system – akin to the American ESTA – that will implicit the information cheque of visitors earlier they participate immoderate state successful the Schengen Zone.

AND THE WAR

Meanwhile, galore chap Greeks are preparing to travel to Greece for the summer, however, facing large difficulties and precocious costs, particularly those who publication last-minute tickets via alternate routes that debar the Persian Gulf.

These flights person become… unscheduled, while those who already had reservations are trying to navigate the analyzable situation created by the war successful Iran, with cancellations, formation changes and information warnings.

The latest update from Smartraveller connected this substance stated that subject conflicts person caused widespread airspace closures, formation cancellations, and different travel disruptions, some successful the Middle East portion and astir the world.

There are besides difficulties successful substance supply worldwide, which person widespread impacts connected travel.

Your plans whitethorn beryllium affected, adjacent if your destination is not successful the Middle East.

New measures whitethorn beryllium introduced successful the adjacent future.

The “Do Not Travel” proposal besides applies to transit and stopovers successful affected areas. Even if you don’t program to permission the airport, don’t travel done these countries, Smartraveller said.

If you travel to oregon transit done a state for which a “Do Not Travel” proposal applies, you whitethorn not beryllium capable to leave. Your information will beryllium astatine risk.

For the Middle East, the Australian government’s “Do Not Travel” recommendation, until astatine slightest Thursday, was successful effect for: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates.