Longer queues at Schiphol due to new checks

Passengers arriving at Schiphol from outside Europe will spend more time from next week due to the introduction of a new checkpoint.

That's what De Telegraaf reports. The images of incredibly long lines at Schiphol Airport in the summer are still etched in most people's memories . Two years ago, there was almost daily chaos at the airport .

The so-called Entry/Exit System (EES) has been introduced in 29 countries since 12 October to improve border control and is to be rolled out in Europe within six months.

The system will be gradually rolled out at Schiphol starting November 3rd. The new system will also be implemented at most Dutch airports starting Monday. This has already happened recently at Eemshaven, the port of IJmuiden, and several other coastal border crossings.

The system is a new passport control system for third-country nationals. It replaces manual stamping. Approximately 15,000 to 20,000 travelers per day will no longer receive a stamp in their passports, but will be subjected to a more extensive digital check. They will be required to submit their biometric data at special computers at Schiphol Airport, among other things.

Currently, the EU has no insight into exactly how many people are in the Schengen area for a short period and leave on time. The new system should solve this. The EES applies only to travelers staying within Schengen for a maximum of 90 days.

The security check requires extra steps at special computer terminals, which takes time. And according to experts, other travelers arriving from outside the EU will also notice this on their way to the baggage claim. Longer lines seem inevitable, especially when multiple flights from distant countries arrive in a short time.

How much extra time it will take is still uncertain. "We'll see," Colonel Elwin van der Molen of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee told the newspaper . However, it was announced yesterday that Schiphol is deploying two hundred new staff to prevent the introduction of the new registration system from causing chaotic scenes.

At ports, sailors typically pass through within a minute and a half, but Van der Molen doesn't expect a similar scenario to unfold at the airport. "We're really wondering how things will work at Schiphol. Travelers behave differently. I've even seen people put their faces on a scanner because they see a passport photo emblem."

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