My Wife and I are going to Paris, Edinburgh and London late July-mid August. We have already used the ETA app for UK. I’m trying to figure out EES. We were in France and Belgium last year and had no issues with passport control at CDG.
Is EES something new this year?
Do I need to download an app like I did for ETA?
Joel, this is a good explanation of what EES is and how it's executed.
You'll need to go through the process in Paris, France (unless you're entering the Schengen through a different Schengen country) and don't need to download anything. As it's not in the Schengen, it doesn't apply to the UK; you'll be using ETA that.
EES has been inconsistently operational on an inconsistent basis at CDG for awhile now. It was not operational upon our arrival at CDG on 5/3 nor was it operational upon our exit on 5/14 from CDG. The article referenced above is how it should work and what to expect, but travelers are finding wildly different experiences at different times and at different ports of entry.
Right. As the blog above notes...
"That said, this is a new protocol — and with any major change, there are quirks being worked out, potential bottlenecks, and things worth knowing before you go."
A good friend who just came back from Portugal said EES in Lisbon was a nightmare but you won't be dealing with that one anyway, Joel.
Inconsistently inconsistent is the name of the game! I've been through with machines in CPH in December, came back in March and they were magically gone! "We're having start-up issues". If you don't see machines and Q for immigration, you might still be asked to have a picture taken & fingerprinted. Which should be a one-time incident. The good news is that supposedly, eventually, you will be able to use the same electronic gantries as EU citizens.... Hope springs eternal.
Just note, when you leave Schengen, you (should) go through EES again. Reading Paris Trip Reports, it does look like that's the case leaving CDG for non-Schengen.
Good luck!
