Britons, Americans and citizens of several other English-speaking countries can again use PARAFE e-gates where these are available at borders, the French government has confirmed.
This is now said to be possible for visitors who need to register in the European Entry/Exit System (EES) digital borders scheme as well as for nationals of the same countries who are residents of France with valid visas or
residency cards.
It should help them avoid longer waits in standard non-EU queues.
The
UAF French airports group previously told us this would only be possible for visitors if they first use an EES pre-registration kiosk – however Bordeaux
airport said that the way this works is being deployed differently “depending
on the situation and the airport".
At present Nice reports
letting all Britons and Americans through e-gates without additional checks.
We sought further clarification on the rules from the interior ministry and the police, as well as asking if
residents should do anything in addition, such as showing a residency card. No further details were yet received from the ministry.
Recent reports from Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) suggest that residents are able to use the e-gates, though accounts differ as to the need to show proof.
One reader said that, on approaching the passport lanes, he showed his UK passport and Brexit residency card to a staff member, who directed him to a PARAFE gate, bypassing a longer non-EU lane. On exiting it, there was a desk where he showed his passport and card again.
Another stated: “On a return trip through CDG, passport officials directed us to the e-gates with our British passports without needing to show our residency cards.”
Regarding e-gate use, Britons and Americans and several other nationalities were previously able to use these prior to the start of EES, but this stopped during the EES phase-in period.
EES kiosk problems
With regard to EES kiosks, there have been ongoing technical difficulties.
These are meant to speed up processing at borders by avoiding non-EU/non-EEA/non-Swiss citizens who are visiting the EU and are thus subject to EES having to complete full EES formalities at a border guard’s booth. They are installed at major airports as well as for Eurostar and Eurotunnel facilities.
They have in theory been configured to work in coordination with PARAFE gates where these exist, so that a person may register at a kiosk (or complete a verification of their fingerprints or facial image if they are already in the system from a previous trip) and then pass through a PARAFE gate for a final check that they are the person on their passport.
However, the kiosks are currently not in operation.
The police told The Connexion: "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 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."
The interior ministry told us French state services and the company in charge of developing the kiosks (reportedly Thales) are “fully mobilised to finalise the technical work [on the kiosks] as quickly as possible”.
It added that “numerous on-site tests are being carried out, and software updates are planned in the coming months to resolve the difficulties encountered”.
In theory, EES has been ‘fully operational’ since April 12 at all of France’s Schengen border crossings (ports, airports, etc.).
This includes at the Port of Dover, London Saint Pancras (Eurostar) and Folkestone (Eurotunnel) where French border police operate checks on British soil. It has seen the end of routine passport stamping, with EES records taking the place of physical stamps.
At most borders, efforts are now being made to at least enter all relevant travellers into the EES database.
'Full operation' was meant to include biometrics
However, full registration is supposed to include taking ‘biometrics’ – a facial image and a fingerprint scan – and this is still far from being widely deployed.
In theory, biometrics can be taken either by self-service pre-registration devices (tablet computers or kiosks), or if unavailable, by border guards at their booths.
However, no biometrics are being demanded from travellers at the port of Dover or Eurotunnel, or from travellers on Eurostar, pending kiosk availability.
The French airports association, UAF, states that EES is widely deployed in airports, but told us that much use is being made of ‘partial suspension’, which refers to not taking biometrics. In airports it is the police aux frontières border police who man the booths at large airports and Douanes customs officers at small ones.
According to EU regulations governing the phased launch of EES, such stoppages are only supposed to last up to six hours, and only during busy periods, and are meant to be reported to the European Commission. However, the commission told The Connexion that it is possible for a new six-hour period to start after a previous one.
This flexibility will remain in place until September, the commission confirmed.
After September, there is no specific provision for routine suspensions
beyond cases of technical breakdown. EES rules state that data should then be
stored locally electronically, where possible, or passenger details recorded
manually, with passports potentially stamped again if needed.
UAF has expressed concerns about what will happen after the summer.
Ryanair, which operates flights to and from many of France’s smaller airports, has called on France and other EU states to suspend EES altogether over the busy summer period, fearing long passport queues.
MEP Assita Kanko, in charge of the EES dossier in the European Parliament, said it is important that the system becomes fully functional soon.
“Whether passport stamping can be [completely] abolished will depend on various factors. In the strict sense, passport stamping is replaced by the EES log, not the biometric check. And it is the biometric checks that cause most delay and are occasionally suspended.
“But of course, the biometric checks offer added value so they must also start working as intended soon.
“As regards sanctions, the commission currently still opts for a collaborative approach. It offers support and spurs member states on.
“Eventually, in some cases, sanctions can be foreseen, but it is too soon to speculate.”
The EES regulations
contain no specific sanctions for failing to implement the system, meaning any penalties
involved would take the form of standard EU infringement proceedings, which are often slow.
Confusion over passport lanes
Aside from the issue of PARAFE gates, EES has also led to confusion over which passport lanes travellers should take, with residents in France asking if they can join ‘EU’ lanes.
This is not officially allowed unless they are accompanying an EU-national spouse/partner who is using their free movement rights to spend time in France. This entitlement is also generally extended to spouses/partners of French citizens.
However, reports on how this is being managed on the ground by police or (in smaller airports) customs officers vary.
A British traveller with a residency card was not allowed to join their Irish spouse in the EU queue at Charles de Gaulle and another was told to use the non-EU queue at Lyon.
By contrast, other readers report that at two smaller airports, Limoges and Carcassonne, residency card holders were being invited to use ‘EU’ lanes.
