Airport queues lengthen at Geneva and Zurich under new EU border checks

Travellers arriving at Swiss airports from outside the Schengen area are now waiting up to two hours at passport control, because of the EU's new Entry-Exit System.

Anyone without an EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic or Liechtenstein passport must be registered with biometric data on first entry, slowing each check considerably. 

The system went live across the Schengen area on 10 April, and 90 million people have already been logged. Geneva airport saw waits stretch to two and a half hours during the February ski-holiday peak, while Zurich confirms longer delays will continue. 

Procedures should improve as staff gain experience, but UK and US arrivals can still expect lengthy queues when several non-Schengen flights land at once.
 

 

 

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