I have been intently following the rollout of the European Union’s new entry/exit system, as I’ve 5 Schengen space entries or exits coming between its launch on Oct. 12 and the tip of 2025. I might seen a number of articles noting three-hour immigration strains on arrival to some European airports because the Oct. 12 launch, however typically obtained the impression that the rollout was going easily and that departure immigration often wasn’t experiencing vital strains.
Nonetheless, I needed to remain knowledgeable, so within the days main as much as my Oct. 20 flight from Brussels to Toronto, I checked the Brussels Airport (BRU) web site and social media and looked for current information articles or press releases relating to the entry/exit system’s rollout. I discovered no notable info or experiences, so I figured the system’s implementation was going easily, or maybe hadn’t began. In any case, some entry/exit factors opted for a partial or delayed rollout.
Sadly, I confronted a big wait time for exit immigration in Brussels — a lot in order that I virtually missed my transatlantic flight. And though faster, the queue upon arrival again in Brussels was nonetheless longer than common. Listed below are my experiences and suggestions for those who plan to go to the EU with a non-EU passport within the coming months as extra airports start implementing the brand new system.
My expertise with exit immigration in Brussels
I had a 9:40 a.m. flight from Brussels to Toronto on Oct. 20. From the place I used to be staying, I may take a prepare one cease to the airport each half-hour. So, I made a decision on a prepare departure that will arrive on the airport 110 minutes forward of my flight. Contemplating I hadn’t learn any damaging experiences in regards to the departure immigration at BRU, I figured this is able to give me sufficient time to climate any barely longer than common immigration strains and go to the lounge earlier than boarding.
Nevertheless, the prepare I might deliberate to take was canceled on the final minute, and Google Maps indicated driving would take nearly so long as ready for the subsequent prepare. Even with the cancelled prepare, I arrived on the airport 80 minutes earlier than departure and reached the immigration queue 62 minutes earlier than departure.
Solely EU passport holders may use the self-serve immigration kiosks once I was departing from Brussels. I solely observe this as a result of TPG’s Eric Rosen, who’s a U.S. citizen, was in a position to make use of such a kiosk on Oct. 13 when departing from Amsterdam. However once I departed from Brussels every week later, all non-EU passport holders had been being processed by simply two police brokers (a 3rd agent began processing vacationers as I neared the entrance of the queue).
As the road moved slowly, I nervously in contrast my progress in opposition to the time that had elapsed and commenced to get a sinking feeling: I would not make my flight.
Airport representatives within the immigration space informed passengers involved that they’d miss their flight that the airways would maintain planes for passengers caught in immigration. I suspected this would not be the case, however fortunately, a form passenger close to the entrance of the road informed me to go in entrance of him.
After I reached the police agent for immigration, he did not ask any questions, acquire any biometric knowledge, and even flip by means of my passport. As an alternative, he mentioned the pc was working effectively for my passport and stamped my passport. Regardless of the laptop was doing took about 5 instances so long as it often does when coming into or exiting the Schengen space.
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As soon as I cleared the immigration sales space, I ran to my gate. After I scanned my boarding cross, it gave an error, and the gate agent famous that the check-in agent marked me as a late check-in. This shocked me because the check-in agent did not inform me this, and I had checked in effectively forward of Air Canada’s acknowledged bag drop deadline. Fortunately, the gate agent may nonetheless load me and my checked bag onto the flight.
Primarily based on the minimal variety of passengers who boarded after me, and the boarding full name only a few minutes after I boarded, I used to be one of many closing passengers to make the flight. As I suspected, Air Canada did not watch for passengers caught in immigration; a flight attendant informed me 25 passengers missed the flight, together with 4 within the premium economic system cabin.
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My expertise with arrival immigration in Brussels
On my means again to the EU, I took a London-to-Brussels flight noon on Oct. 24. After my expertise with the immigration queue leaving Brussels just a few days prior, I used to be ready for an extended arrival immigration wait. I selected a seat close to the entrance of my British Airways flight to Brussels and moved swiftly from the airplane to the immigration processing heart after deplaning.
The arrival space featured 12 self-service immigration kiosks, however solely EU passport holders may use these kiosks. 9 cubicles had been staffed with immigration brokers on my arrival, however two had been reserved for EU passport holders who could not use the self-service kiosks, and 5 had been reserved for vacationers who wanted a visa.
This left simply two kiosks for non-EU passport holders who did not want a visa, so the queue was lengthy and slow-moving. Although I imagine I used to be the primary particular person within the queue from my flight, it nonetheless took me 40 minutes to clear immigration. The road obtained considerably longer as I used to be in it, as passengers from my flight and seemingly just a few others joined the group.
As on my departure just a few days earlier, the immigration brokers weren’t accumulating biometric knowledge or asking questions. As an alternative, the brokers appeared to simply be utilizing the brand new laptop system and stamping passports. As earlier than, the agent barely flipped by means of my passport earlier than stamping a web page and waving me by means of.
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Classes realized and recommendation
The 29 nations utilizing the brand new entry/exit system have till April 10 to completely combine the system. So, you by no means fairly know what you would possibly get while you enter or exit one in all these nations between Oct. 12 and April 10. You would possibly get the pre-Oct. 12 system and expertise, you would possibly get the complete biometric knowledge assortment and questions expertise, otherwise you would possibly face one thing in between.
As such, it is inconceivable to understand how lengthy the wait will likely be earlier than your departure or after your arrival. For that reason, do not make my mistake. As an alternative, go away your self loads of time when arriving in or departing from one of many 29 collaborating nations. Then … effectively, discover a lounge to go to when you clear immigration.
Likewise, give your self loads of time after you arrive to clear immigration. After clearing immigration and customs, I wanted to take a once-per-hour prepare from Brussels Airport to Rotterdam, within the Netherlands. I may have saved cash by buying a ticket for a particular prepare upfront, however I opted for a costlier versatile ticket that will let me take any prepare that day as a result of I could not predict how lengthy I might want to attend in immigration queues.
Nevertheless, it is value checking your entry/exit level’s social media and web site to see whether or not they have any updates or helpful info relating to the entry/exit system. For instance, the Amsterdam airport web site notes it is not implementing the entry/exit system till Nov. 3. Fortunate me, as I am departing from Amsterdam on Nov. 6.
Likewise, examine whether or not there’s something you are able to do to hurry up the immigration course of. For instance, for those who’re coming into or exiting Sweden, think about downloading the Journey to Europe cellular app. Hopefully, extra nations will start utilizing this app to gather knowledge, and I count on it’s going to unlock some shorter queues for vacationers who decide to make use of it.
Should you’re on a brief connection on a single ticket, the airline might shield you for those who miss your connection resulting from lengthy switch immigration strains. Nevertheless, I might advocate reserving connections of at the very least 4 hours if you’re coming into or leaving any of the 29 European nations utilizing the brand new entry/exit system throughout your layover, to save lots of your self the effort of modifications and rebooking do you have to encounter an extended queue.
If attainable, you could wish to maintain off on visiting the 29 nations altogether till they clean out their system. Many nations acquire biometric knowledge and passport scans on arrival and departure — together with Canada, Singapore and Australia — however the strains are minimal. I count on, given a while, the EU entry/exit system course of will pace up.
In fact, you could not need or have the ability to keep away from visiting the Schengen space anytime quickly. For instance, a number of occasions will take me again to Europe this fall and spring. So, for those who should go, simply give your self loads of time.
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Backside line
Dangerous luck with a cancelled prepare and underestimating how lengthy the exit immigration would soak up Brussels virtually led to me lacking a transatlantic flight. This could have been an costly mistake, as I seemingly would have wanted to purchase a brand new ticket since it might have been my fault (not the airline’s) that I missed the flight.
So be ready for immigration to take for much longer than you count on whereas the Schengen zone nations work out the bugs of their programs. And — particularly for those who’re on a wide-body airplane — think about choosing a seat close to the entrance of the airplane so that you could be one of many first passengers in your flight to achieve the immigration checkpoint.
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