Your Airport Transfer Guide
EU Entry/Exit System (EES): Airport delays explained
What is EES?
The Entry/Exit System is an EU border control system that records the entry and exit of non-EU/EEA nationals, collecting identity and travel details to enhance border security.
Who does it affect?
Affected
All non-EU/EEA travellers
Includes UK passport holders following Brexit, plus US, Canadian, and Australian nationals.
Exempt
EU/EEA citizens
EU/EEA citizens skip EES checks entirely, but may still see longer queues during busy periods while others enrol.
Dual nationals travel on their EU passport to skip enrolment.
Which airports are affected by delays?
All airports across the Schengen Area are included, covering many of the region's most popular travel hubs such as Alicante (ALC), Athens (ATH), Barcelona (BCN), Faro (FAO), Lisbon (LIS), Málaga (AGP), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Rome Fiumicino (FCO), and Tenerife South (TFS).
Full list of airports affected
| Spain | Alicante (ALC) , Barcelona (BCN) , Girona (GRQ) , Madrid (MAD) , Málaga (AGP) , Mallorca/Palma (PMI) , Gran Canaria (LPA) , Tenerife South (TFS) , Tenerife North (TFN) , Fuerteventura (FUE) , Lanzarote (ACE) , Ibiza (IBZ) , Valencia (VLC) , Seville (SVQ) , Bilbao (BIO) , Santiago de Compostela (SCQ) |
|---|---|
| Portugal | Faro (FAO) , Lisbon (LIS) , Porto (OPO) , Madeira (FNC) |
| France | Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) , Paris Orly (ORY) , Nice (NCE) , Lyon (LYS) , Marseille (MRS) , Toulouse (TLS) , Bordeaux (BOD) |
| Italy | Rome Fiumicino (FCO) , Rome Ciampino (CIA) , Milan Malpensa (MXP) , Milan Bergamo (BGY) , Venice Marco Polo (VCE) , Naples (NAP) , Pisa (PSA) , Bologna (BLQ) , Florence (FLR) , Catania (CTA) , Palermo (PMO) |
| Greece | Athens (ATH) , Crete Heraklion (HER) , Corfu (CFU) , Rhodes (RHO) , Santorini (JTR) , Mykonos (JMK) , Kos (KGS) , Zakynthos (ZTH) |
| Germany | Frankfurt (FRA) , Munich (MUC) , Berlin Brandenburg (BER) , Hamburg (HAM) , Düsseldorf (DUS) , Cologne/Bonn (CGN) |
| Austria | Vienna (VIE) , Salzburg (SZG) , Innsbruck (INN) |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) |
| Belgium | Brussels (BRU) , Brussels Charleroi (CRL) |
| Croatia | Dubrovnik (DBV) , Split (SPU) , Zagreb (ZAG) |
| Poland | Krakow (KRK) , Warsaw (WAW) , Gdansk (GDN) |
| Czech Republic | Prague (PRG) |
| Hungary | Budapest (BUD) |
| Denmark | Copenhagen (CPH) |
| Sweden | Stockholm (ARN) |
| Norway | Oslo (OSL) , Bergen (BGO) |
| Finland | Helsinki (HEL) |
| Malta | Malta (MLA) |
| Bulgaria | Sofia (SOF) , Burgas (BOJ) , Varna (VAR) |
| Romania | Bucharest (OTP) |
| Other (Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland) | Various smaller airports |
How do EES delays affect your journey?
Arriving in Europe
EES checks take place when you go through passport control, both on arrival and departure. This may mean it takes longer to reach the arrivals hall after landing, and you should allow extra time at the airport before your departure flight to complete passport control and boarding procedures.
Delays vary depending on the time of day and the airport. For this reason, and to help ensure a smooth pick-up experience at the most affected locations, your driver may arrive approximately 30 minutes after your flight's actual landing time. Please note that this adjustment only applies at selected airports where increased delays have been observed. If this applies to your booking, full details will be clearly shown on your voucher.
Departing from Europe
This is where you need to plan ahead because of how long EES delays can be. EES checks happen at the Schengen exit border, so allow extra time at the airport before your flight home. First-time registration can take 1–2 hours at busy airports, so how early should you arrive at the airport? We recommend at least 2 hours before your flight.
If you're departing from a Schengen airport, make sure to amend your pickup time to allow for EES checks. You can do this free of charge at least 24 hours in advance.
How Suntransfers helps with EES delays
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One hour of free waiting time
Your booking includes one hour of free waiting time from the moment your plane lands.
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EES made you miss your pickup? Call us.
If EES delays mean you miss your pickup, contact us and we'll assist in arranging a new transfer. This may be provided at no extra charge if it falls within the waiting time included in your booking.
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We track your arrival flight
We track your arrival flight automatically — if there's a delay, your driver will know.