The new EU passport control system for non-EU is totally idiotic and crap and will permanently make holidaying in Europe worse

[Czerwonitz]

Sure, still probably better than the US (and no need to say anything about the UAE etc for now) but still shit.

1. Why are there stupid kiosks dotted randomly about, just put them in the line everyone waits in so the queue can be orderly and everyone literally knows where they stand.

2.Clearly mark the line so people don't wait in the wrong one for an hour before being told they have to go to the back of another.

3.The fingerprints machine cannot properly take fingerprints (anyone who has worked in a fingerprinty job knows this, it's all for show) so maybe just park that or if not then at least get some alcohol wipes for between users.

None of this will happen ofc it's random shitty kiosks til we die. Or rejoin the EU. So the first one.

We were recently in Austria. Took 5 minutes and bags were there too! It was actually like black magic I have no idea how they managed that.

If anyone is going to Spain over Easter, a bigger issue might be the rolling strikes at most Spanish airports. Combine that with the new entry systems and it could be disruptive. Hopefully it will be sorted out.

https://www.idealista.com/en/news/lifestyle-in-spain/2026/03/20/889627-easter-2026-airport-strikes-in-spain-what-travellers-need-to-know

I find EU border guards to be super chill and not ask many questions when you get to them. Some just stamp without saying anything.

Well they will know when the flight comes in and where from. I read that it was EU policy not the policy of individual countries. Fairly logical from the EU's perspective. If it was too easy to leave remember...

Plenty of places are over touristed and Venice tourists aren't all from cruise ships.

And though more perhaps for internal tourists the high speed link between Madrid and Malaga looks like running beyond Easter before repairs near the Malaga end are complete.

But what can they physically do to deliberately make it longer for Brits! They can't add they wouldn't because we are in the same queues as everyone else.

Depends how fast your passport control people are. I don't know. I just rememebr reading it was EU policy to go slow for the UK so as to highlight a downside of leaving. Seems perfectly logical.

No but the cruise ships are the issue because a) they mess with the water levels in the lagoon b) they dump thousands of tourists there at the same time and those tourists eat in the ship and spend little money when docked. They aren't stupid enough to want no tourists at all but the cruise ships were causing problems and bringing very little revenue.

Venice isn't a country

They don't, I've been in plenty of EU passport queues and they don't make it take longer for Brits. They can't because by default they'd keep all the other nationalities in the queue waiting longer. They are hardly going to just sit at stare at you or make weird small talk to make things longer just because you are British.

Very little revenue apart from the port fees paid to the port for every single passenger onboard (whether they disembark or not), shuttle buses, excursions, onboarding fresh supplies.

thats before the spend on souvenirs and those that do eat and drink ashore

And rid of them all by 6pm

Ok. I don't really see the pount in arguing as neither of us know the truth.

Yes I know. But it does have a lot of tourists.

Bit like the lake district is not a country but can suffer from over tourism. Unlike somewhere that tourists wouldn't go to in the UK.

Anyway my point is a lot of countries suffer from over tourism.

I think you posted on the wrong message. I didn't say anything about the EU being vindictive.

You did say many countries though , then mentioned Venice

Saying non EU queue is longer thanks to the UK?

This is another problem right now, some airports are dragging their feet about getting the new system up and running so you fly somewhere hoping to get that initial fingerprint but over and done with bit they don't have the system running.

Arrived into Seville a couple of days ago, it was really fast, I was through the fingerprint scanner and passport stamping in about 10 minutes. I haven’t done the return yet.

I just glide through with my Schengen passport.

Bully for you.

We did Madrid last month and exactly the same. Loads of terminals, no wait, worked fine and someone checking you had done it correctly before you joined the short queue at passport control. If it can be done there then there is no excuse for chaos anywhere else.

UK has visa free travel for 90 days into EU. This isn't a visa and applies to those Countries too. It's not some punishment for BREXIT. It's applies to all travel with non EU passport. A visa is different and not applied for at the point of entry, usually.

Exactly.

Found it easy. Did my fingerprints etc once, and now each time I travel just straight to passport control and through quick and easy