The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) updated its Germany travel-advice page on 22 July to flag the imminent launch of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) for third-country nationals. UK tourists and business travellers are reminded that from 12 October they will need to complete biometric fingerprint and facial scans the first time they enter the Schengen area after the system goes live. The notice urges passengers using Dover, Eurotunnel or Eurostar to allow extra time for checks, predicting that registration could take up to two minutes per person and lead to extended queues at juxtaposed controls during peak periods. Carriers may deny boarding if travellers have not left sufficient connection time. Business-mobility implications: companies should incorporate the EES process into travel policies, especially for frequent flyers on fast-turnaround trips who rely on hand baggage only. Traveller-tracking tools should be updated to record the additional data collected by border authorities and to factor likely congestion into duty-of-care risk ratings. Employers that rotate project teams through Germany on the 90/180-day visa-free allowance will benefit from EES’ automated over-stay calculator but must brief staff on the need to keep passports consistent with any linked eVisa accounts. The same wording was simultaneously added to FCDO pages for Poland, Estonia, Iceland and Slovakia, indicating a coordinated campaign to alert UK citizens.
Source: FCDO Germany Travel Advice
