France’s official citizen-services portal Service-Public.fr quietly pushed a content update on 14 June that matters to all non-EU travellers. The “Entrée d’un étranger en France” factsheet now includes a dedicated Q&A explaining how and when to use the optional pre-registration apps for the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which has been fully operational since April. Travellers arriving after 12 October 2025 can download either the EU’s mobile app or the airlines’ white-label versions to scan their passport chip, capture a selfie and fill in basic trip data up to 72 hours before departure. Doing so slashes average first-time EES processing at the border from 8 minutes to roughly 90 seconds, according to the French Border Police (PAF). The update also clarifies grey areas that were still confusing travel-managers: • Seconded employees with a valid French residence permit (titre de séjour) are exempt from EES even if they leave the EU for more than six months, provided the card is still valid on re-entry. • Holders of multi-entry Schengen visas issued before 10 April 2026 must still register the first time they cross after that date, because old visa stickers were not captured by EES. • Travellers who cannot pre-register (for example due to fingerprint issues) may seek ‘light registration’ at manned booths, but only at 16 designated airports—including CDG, Orly, Lyon, Marseille and Nice. Service-Public promises a separate simulator in July that will calculate remaining Schengen-stay days in real time. Companies should embed the new guidance in pre-trip briefings and ensure that travel-booking tools surface the pre-registration link at the point of sale.
Source: Service-Public.fr
