A British traveller has revealed the reality of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) at Malaga Airport, highlighting long queues for non-EU citizens. Wendy Smyth, from Northern Ireland, shared her experience on TikTok, showing a heavily congested airport in the Spanish tourism hotspot.
The EES is an automated IT platform that registers non-EU nationals travelling for short-term visits within the Schengen zone. It logs arrivals and departures, eventually replacing passport stamps with a digital system to speed up border procedures. The system has been running since October in some locations and is expected to be fully operational across the Schengen area from April 10.
Wendy explained that UK nationals must register biometrics—including a photo and fingerprints—before Passport Control. She noted plenty of staff and signage to assist passengers, who are then divided into EU and non-EU lanes. The queue for non-EU citizens was extremely long, while EU nationals passed through quickly using e-gates.
Reactions on TikTok were mixed. One user said, 'I think this will put a lot of people off travelling.' Another complained about fingerprint recognition issues, while a third blamed Brexit for the new procedures. However, a fourth traveller reported a smooth 15-minute passage through passport control at Malaga.
The Schengen area includes 29 countries, such as Spain, France, Germany, and Italy. The Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not part of the Schengen zone, so EES does not apply there.
