Is it possible to pre-register for the EES system? I have heard about terrible waits in Lisbon and we arrive at 11pm with tours starting the next morning.
Posted by
Singapore
1301 posts
Not exactly - entering Portugal you can use the Travel to Europe app to pre answer the entry questionnaire, but you still need to do the biometric check at the airport kiosks, so I'm not sure it saves that much time - the questionnaire is very short and simple.
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/Travel-to-Europe-mobile-app
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
9447 posts
The problem in Lisbon is not EES. They have had issues for years, a product of an airport trying to handle twice the volume it was designed for. They simply do not have room, personnel, or facilities for lots of EES kiosks or manual booths to handle the volume.
Like the previous poster said, yes, there is an app, but so far it is unclear if it really helps. It probably does not hurt to download and use. that way if there is a separate line, you can take advantage of it.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
2050 posts
My daughter flew in a couple of weeks ago and had downloaded the app and had it ready - along with several others around her. There was zero opportunity to use it and the officials here in Lisbon didn’t seem to know what it was. My other daughter is flying in next week. I told her not to bother.
I keep seeing news articles of Lisbon airport adding more personnel, etc. Depending on the number of other international flights landing at the same time, it’s still a huge mess. My advice to both daughters - use the bathroom before you land and make your way to passport control as quickly as you can. It’s a ‘crap shoot’ as to the lines. Sigh!
Posted by
USA
194 posts
The Lisbon airport may have had issues prior to the implementation of EES but EES has certainly exacerbated them to a degree that it’s newsworthy and cited as an example of the system’s issues.
As for the “travel to Europe app” — in our case downloading and completing the form on it was a complete waste of time. Nobody asked to see it or otherwise said anything about it.
The EES wait times are impossible to predict. You may breeze through or it could be 3 hour wait or anything in between. An 11 pm arrival time strikes me as a time when there aren’t a lot of international flights arriving (a major factor), but I’m not sure about that.