Two weeks into the phased introduction of the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES), travel-advice notices issued on 26 October by Australia’s Smartraveller and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office report that, while border-queue times have lengthened modestly, the process is generally running to plan at Belgium’s external Schengen airports and seaports.
Non-EU travellers arriving at Brussels Airport now complete a one-minute self-service kiosk registration before presenting passports for biometric verification. Federal Police sources say average processing times for third-country nationals are currently 30–35 seconds longer than under the manual stamp regime, well within the 45-second design target set by Frontex.
Belgium has nonetheless opted to keep temporary additional police checks on incoming motorway traffic, international coaches and Thalys/Eurostar trains until at least December 2025 as a precaution while officers familiarise themselves with EES back-office systems. Transport companies report minimal slowdown so far, but coach operators note that random spot-checks can add up to 15 minutes to journey times at peak periods.
Both advisories remind business travellers that fingerprints and a facial scan are mandatory at first entry after 12 October and encourage passengers to allow extra time, particularly when connecting onto short-haul Schengen flights, where minimum-connection times have not yet been adjusted. Frequent travellers benefit from a three-year validity of their digital record, reducing repeated data capture.
Global-mobility teams should update pre-trip briefings to reflect the smoother-than-expected rollout but continue monitoring wait-time data as traffic builds toward the Christmas peak.
Non-EU travellers arriving at Brussels Airport now complete a one-minute self-service kiosk registration before presenting passports for biometric verification. Federal Police sources say average processing times for third-country nationals are currently 30–35 seconds longer than under the manual stamp regime, well within the 45-second design target set by Frontex.
Belgium has nonetheless opted to keep temporary additional police checks on incoming motorway traffic, international coaches and Thalys/Eurostar trains until at least December 2025 as a precaution while officers familiarise themselves with EES back-office systems. Transport companies report minimal slowdown so far, but coach operators note that random spot-checks can add up to 15 minutes to journey times at peak periods.
Both advisories remind business travellers that fingerprints and a facial scan are mandatory at first entry after 12 October and encourage passengers to allow extra time, particularly when connecting onto short-haul Schengen flights, where minimum-connection times have not yet been adjusted. Frequent travellers benefit from a three-year validity of their digital record, reducing repeated data capture.
Global-mobility teams should update pre-trip briefings to reflect the smoother-than-expected rollout but continue monitoring wait-time data as traffic builds toward the Christmas peak.
