Changes for visitors to France

Visitors to France or other Schengen countries are affected by EES procedures if they are of a non-EU/non-EEA/non Swiss nationality – ie. they do not benefit from EU free movement – and they are entering or exiting the Schengen area for a short stay of no more than three months.

Travellers should bear in mind that EES means the border control process takes longer, especially on their first entry or exit after the system came into operation.

It is difficult anticipate how much longer, as this varies depending on the means of travel and how busy the port/airport/rail station is, and how prepared and equipped it is. However, as a rule of thumb, people must allow more time than before and be prepared for delays.

Passengers can expect a passport scan and photo to be taken and a fingerprint scan (children under 12 do not have to provide fingerprints). Having to answer some short questions about travel is also possible, though far from systematic.

In theory such questions were already standard under Schengen area rules but this was not commonly applied in France previously. Where pre-registration kiosks exist (eg. larger airports, Eurotunnel and Eurostar), inputting answers to questions is built into these, but this feature can be (and often is) turned off by border guards to speed the process up.

Questions are also included in the standard model of the EU’s Travel to Europe app that was developed to help with pre-registration. This is not yet available for use in France but the French government has stated its intention to deploy it within the medium or longer-term.

People affected by EES may have to pass in front of a border official (police aux frontières or Douanes) for final checks.

However, at sites where there are PARAFE passport e-gates, nationals of many countries (US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand) may be permitted to use these to bypass going in front of a border guard’s desk. Usually, the latter should be combined by using a self-service EES kiosk to log in or out of EES. 

Despite kiosks being out of action at Nice airport in spring and summer 2026, police there told The Connexion in May: “The alphanumeric data of passengers using PARAFE gates who are eligible for EES is recorded directly in EES [by the PARAFE], pending the full operational launch of the kiosks and the expected data flow between the kiosks and PARAFE gates.

"To determine whether a person is already registered, the EES database is consulted.

"Travellers with residency cards can continue to use PARAFE gates as normal because they are not affected by EES.

"This is a temporary arrangement that is only possible as we are not collecting passengers’ biometric data."

During summer 2026 much use was being made in France of contingency measures meaning that at busy times travellers eligible for EES were not asked for a facial image and fingerprint scan, as the EES regulations provided for suspension of these if deemed necessary. 

Several busy border points had yet to implement biometric data collection and checking at all, including the Port of Dover and the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal, for car passengers, and at St Pancras station for Eurostar.

The French government, and several other governments, lobbied the EU to be able to continue these 'flexibilities', but as of September, this was not officially agreed and it is not intended in the regulations governing EES, which had to go through the usual process for passing EU law. 

We note that in summer 2026 there were also reports that some older adults had struggled to record their fingerprint data due to faded fingerprints. 

Fingerprint recognition can also be affected by other factors, including:

• repeated manual work that wears down the skin ridges on the fingertips

• dry skin or skin conditions affecting the hands

• injuries or scarring

• some medical treatments, including certain chemotherapy treatments

Under EU rules, people who are physically unable to provide fingerprints should not be required to do so.

Article 17(4) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 states: “Persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible shall be exempt from the requirement to give fingerprints.”

The regulation adds that where the inability is temporary, this should be recorded and the person may be asked to provide fingerprints at a later entry or exit. 

It also requires member states to ensure that “appropriate procedures guaranteeing the dignity of the person” are in place when difficulties occur during fingerprint capture.

The main concern, however, is how border authorities apply the EU requirement in practice as the European Commission has not specified a single EU-wide procedure for dealing with passengers whose fingerprints cannot be recorded at a kiosk.