Will EES registration be required in France for EU residency permit holders?
The Entry/Exit System will require visitors to the Schengen Area to give their biometric information at the border
The EES was scheduled to come into force on November 10 although this is expected to be delayed
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Reader Question: I have a German residency permit, but often travel into France by plane or ferry when I return to the EU. Will I be subject to EES registration as I am not entering through Germany?
The Entry/Exit System (EES) will affect people who are not citizens of Schengen Area countries and do not hold a valid residency permit or visa.
Such visitors will have their biometric information collected under the system, including a facial scan and fingerprints upon entry into the Schengen Area.
The European Commission had set a November 10 target date for the EES to start, however the rollout is now expected to be pushed back after several countries, including France, said they were not ready.
Nonetheless, if you hold a residency permit for a country in the Schengen Area, you are exempt from EES registration, regardless of which country you enter.
For example, you can show your German residency permit on arrival at a French ferry port or airport (or in the port of Dover or St Pancras station where French checks take place on leaving the UK).
This will apply at all border entry points to the Schengen Area regardless of whether your residency permit is a post-Brexit Withdrawal Agreement card or another permit or visa.
Queues may be longer
However, as you only hold a residency permit for a Schengen Area country, and not an EU/EEA/Swiss passport, you will need to use the non-EU passport queue when crossing the border, unless you are the close family member of an EU/EEA/Swiss passport holder.
Read more: Which passport lane for travellers with French residency cards or visas under EES?
These queues may be longer when the EES launches as the system will need to process many travellers, and certain border points may lack the facilities required to separate them from people who do not need registration.
Note that several non-EU countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) are also part of the Schengen Area.
Read more: EasyJet boss says EU border changes risk 'passengers being left stuck on planes’
