Are cruises affected by EES?
Cruise passengers face slightly longer passport checks but remain unaffected during day trips
Are cruises affected by these changes?
Yes, but the global industry body Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), says the main effect will be that where passport controls were already carried out in the past, these will now take a little longer.
As is already the case, passengers are not expected to be involved with border controls on day trips during a cruise.
Director general Marie-Caroline Laurent said this will include, for example, where a cruise starts in the UK and visits places in the Schengen area for brief stops before returning to the UK.
“If you are a British person boarding at Southampton for a cruise that stops for a day trip in Cherbourg, for example, you would [in future] need an Etias but you will not be subject to physical [EES] entry and exit controls,” she said.
“A cruise that starts and ends in the UK will not be physically checked and people should not be disturbed during day trips.”
We note that the latest (2022) edition of the ‘Schengen handbook’ for border guards, recommends “not to conduct entry or exit checks in the context of organised tourist excursions or day trips during a stopover at a Schengen port” or on passengers remaining onboard during stopovers.
Entry controls will, however, apply if a cruise starts in the UK and ends in the Schengen area, at the point where the passengers get off at the end. Similarly, exit controls would apply on departure if the cruise starts in the Schengen area and ends in the UK.
Cruises starting in a Schengen port, visiting the UK and returning to the original port, may, in some cases, be subject to exit and entry controls, depending on an assessment of the profile of the passengers and their risks of irregularities concerning the 90/180-day rule, Ms Laurent said.
She added: “There may be some confusion at the local level, with some authorities, but the European Commission has been clear on the rules.
We have to make sure everyone has read the same text and interpreted it in the same way.”
Ports have prepared equipment to help, where necessary. Typically, guards carry mobile cases capable of taking the required data though some large ports have kiosks.