CDG EES svp?

They haven't started using it yet, Mike.

I arrived Saturday at 1:15 pm- by the time I disembarked, waited an unusually long time for the tram (and let one go by because it was so full) and got in line for passport control, I was through the line in seven minutes.

Thanks, Kim!

Mike,

Keep us posted when you return from your trip in April. We're going in June.

Best,
Kristen

Good to know, Kim.
We are headed through CDG in a month and, while we know technically how the EES is supposed to work, we are wondering how it actually works in practice. My better half will have to do the EES when we head over if it's up and running so looking for any real-world experience, especially if it's with the spouse of EU citizen.

Apparently it's been chaos in Geneva, which doesn't make sense to me because how can it be faster to deal with a human and get a stamp than to show your passport, face and fingers to a robot?

The European Entry Exit System, EES, started at CDG last October. It is simply a system which automates entry through passport control. That's the theory. The number of times I have used it, it has been painfully slow and prone to breaking down. Even if you do use the EES, your passport will still be stamped. There is nothing for the visitor to prepare for.

ETIAS, or automated tracking of time within the Schengen zone, is estimated to start in the final quarter of 2026. This will require a 20€ fee for a card valid for 3 years.

We landed about 8 AM a week ago Saturday and they were not using EES. We were through immigration in no time at all.

All airports are supposed to have EES operational by April 10 or this year.

We'll see if that actually happens.

Phred, the reason it's taking so long is because the first time you go through EES you have to register.

However, press reporting suggests that the EU Commission on February 2 gave Schengen member states "certain flexibilities" on the implementation of the biometric controls -- of 90 days after the 4/10 date and a possible 60-day extension after that.

In other words, without formally moving ghe deadline of 4/10 for full implementation, they moved the deadline for full implementation.

I have flown into or out of CDG, to/from outside of Schengen, six times since October. I have not once gone through EES.

(Terminal 2E)

I was either too jet lagged or befuddled when I went through what I think was the EES this past December and this January. We flew into Madrid then into Barcelona, Fes, Marrakech back to Barcelona to London Heathrow over a two-week period. Somewhere in there, two airports (or maybe it was Barcelona, twice) used the EES. In short, it didn't work. It was quite frustrating. The fingerprinting was especially ineffective. If memory serves, it was all four fingers that had to be scanned at the same time. So, four chances at failure. My fingers were actually jammed down by the "authority"--no go. There was also the eye-scanning "station" that had problems. We were moved from one station to the other in the hopes that the next one would work. At each station, there were people to help. It still didn't work. Finally, an automated message came up that I was to have an "authority" (or some such term) come and help which they automatically did. They couldn't make it work, either, and metaphorically threw up their hands and told me to just go on through. I felt sorry for the "authorities" trying to help because they were really frustrated that they couldn't perform their jobs well especially having to make the decision to just let unverified passengers go through.

We fly into Munich the end of March and I am really worried about my finger prints going through. I have to be background checked yearly for my job and they can never get the machine to take one of my fingers. They read in manually somewhere to approve me. I have been told that hand sanitizer is the problem and age in wearing down the grooves. Fingers crossed I can get through.

I want to add that we understood the baseline for our eye recognition to be our passport photo, but since we'd never submitted fingerprints before, we didn't understand how fingerprints could be "verified" unless the fingerprinting at that time became our baseline. If so, they still have no baseline for our fingerprints since the scan didn't work.

I often travel into/out of CDG through terminal 1 and the EES is definitely being used there.

"have been told that hand sanitizer is the problem and age in wearing down the grooves."

Years ago when I had my initial Global Entry interview the agent was waiting for his computer to come on and it was being slow so we chatted. He said, yes, your fingerprints are harder to read as you age and that both hand lotion and dehydration can affect them after that. He advised I not use hand lotion on a flight day and to stay as hydrated as I can on the flight back to the US. Thank goodness the places I've come back in thru don't use the fingerprint scanners any more. The facial recognition scanners are much quicker for me.

I was surprised they are using fingerprints since the automated systems that are already in use at some airports is using facial recognition from your passport.

I’m arriving at CDG next Monday, so I’ll report back if I remember.
However, I’m flying through Reykjavik so I don’t know if they are also using the system.

SJ, if you are traveling through Reykjavik, you will do immigration there and not in Paris. You shouldn't see any immigration officers in Paris.

The first time we did EES in Paris was when it was new and they funneled everyone from North America through one gate -- the others were sitting there but not in use. And of course nothing worked. Nearly ever person had to make several attempts to get their passport read. It took us 2 hours in line to get through.

Last year it was much faster but the process is slower than with human agents and lots of people have trouble getting it to work. There is usually one agent assisting and several gates running. Still slow but better than it was. Once through you have the passport stamped. I don't know if it is that people don't know how to do it -- or that the machines are not working reliably. They do require removal of glasses, hats etc but that is clearly signed.

EES scans your passport then using facial recognition for identification.

janet- are you referring to the PARAFE e-gates, rather than the EES? I might very well be wrong but I thought the EES system wasn't launched until mid-October, 2025.

We used the PARAFE e-gates at CDG in Sept/24 and although the line was quite long and some folks were having trouble with the gates, there were staff available to help and it went fairly smoothly.

I am also landing at CDG this coming Monday, from Canada, so I will be interested in seeing what the process is now. I assume that if the EES is in use in Terminal 2C, it will consist of registering at computer terminals prior to lining up for the PARAFE e-gates? Guess I'll find out. I will report back as well.

Just reporting back as promised: my son and I landed at Terminals 2A and 2C today from Canada and neither of us (nor anyone else) had to do the EES registry. While I did see a bank of terminals at 2C that likely will be used eventually for the EES, they were cordoned off and not in use. There were only the PARAFE e-gates to contend with and the line up moved very quickly, followed by an officer physically stamping my passport. Honestly, I got through in about 5 mins. Probably the quickest I have ever experienced, and not a single question asked. Hopefully it will go as well for you in April!

The first time we did EES in Paris was when it was new and they funneled everyone from North America through one gate -- the others were sitting there but not in use. And of course nothing worked. Nearly ever person had to make several attempts to get their passport read. It took us 2 hours in line to get through.

Last year it was much faster

Janet, if you went through something prjor to "last year," as your wording implies, it wasn't EES, but the E-gates. EES only started being rolled out in October 2025. Conversely, the e-gates have been sporadically in use for a couple of years now.

Sue,

Thank you -- hopefully my experience will be much the same!

-- Mike Beebe

What Tocard describes above is what I went through in Sept. 2025 landing ca. 11:00 , and in the end my passport was stamped, which is I want most of all.

How long the whole process took I cannot recall exactly since I wasn't counting the minutes and not pressed for time, at least half an hour if not more. Directed to the first passport scanner, I found it wasn't working, called over the "helpers" to tell them, marche pas, was told to go to another one. That one luckily did work.

Non-working scanners do take place, and especially it happens at the time you get to it. Since going through Passport Control with EES was before noon, more and more people began to show up with the ensuing back-log.