EES at CDG - Experiences?
 

Does anyone have experience with the new EES process upon arrival at CDG? This will be my initial enrollment in EES. I am flying in February ATL - CDG on DL82, arriving at 6:05am. I have read about the fingerprint process and understand how to use the kiosks - seems similar to the former Global Entry kiosks. Is it a free-for-all at the arrivals hall or is there an organized queue for using the kiosks? I understand that before April, you will have to see a border guard. Was the Sky Priority/Access No. 1 a better approach after the kiosk? How long did it take you to get through?

I have 3 hours before my TGV and not worried about timing, just want to have an expectation. 6am at CDG 2E is a large bank of arrivals from Africa/Asia.

I just landed at CDG this past Sunday morning, around 10am. Used the e-gates although after passing through them, I did show my passport to a human. But there were no fingerprints taken, nothing more than a simple stamp in my passport. I had Access No. 1, the line was short and I was through very quickly.

The airport website indicates it will be rolled out gradually and based on my experience, it seems the biometric verification has not started at CDG yet.

Any updates on this? My wife is landing at CDG tomorrow morning and I would like to tell her whether EES will slow down the immigration line or whether there should not be any delays.

Sincerely, do you expect anyone can tell you how many people there will be in line at a given time "tomorrow morning" (this is vague) and how long it will take depending on EES or not, number of EU vs non-EU pax, number of police booth open, status pax versus non-status pax, which terminal, etc etc? You'd better look into a crystal ball...
The only answer we can give is that it will take anything between 5 min and 1hr+

I ask a simple question, and this is how you reply?

What about a simple - "not being enforced," or "I was there a few days ago and it went fairly smoothly," or even "seems like it is being enforced, so may encounter delays if several flights have just arrived." Is that so hard?

EES enforced or not enforced, what I'm trying to say to you is that you never know how long you are going to spend in line at immigration. To many variables in the equation no one has control on.
What I can tell you is that EES didn't seem to be in use yet in CDG in January. But that doesn't mean you can't be stuck for long.

You will note that I posted my question in a thread entitled "EES at CDG." I was asking for an update on whether EES was implemented at CDG. I did not ask anything about immigration lines in general. I also think a little civility is always helpful.

We’ll be flying BA CDG to LHR, connecting there to IAH, in May. I expect we’ll go through EES at CDG, is that right? (We’ll enter France via Eurostar from St. Pancras London to Paris.) I’m interested in what recent experiences have been at CDG when exiting France. Thanks!

Any general experience re: CDG EES processing? I believe that I completed the process at BRU in late February, but when entering AMS last month, the line minders were just assuming that no one had completed the process. In my case, the AMS agent couldn't get the fingerprinter to operate.

Is there a way, when arriving at CDG, to determine if I was in fact processed correctly at BRU?

I'm asking because I need to purchase a TGV ticket departing from CDG and I'm trying to guesstimate how much time I need to allow for a 7 AM midweek arrival, I assume at T1.

Thanks!

It appears to be up to each individual EES country whether they want you to use use the kiosk or not, regardless of whether you've previously provided your biometrics at a kiosk in a different country.

Having registered, sometimes the kiosk will allow you to skip biometrics after you insert your passport, but again this depends on each country.

I guess we'll find out how horrible a mess this is going to be soon since it's supposed to be 100% EES compliance now. Eagerly awaiting stories from CDG. I'm arriving Thursday.

We are arriving in August. Hopefully all is smooth by then.

In March, we landed at CDG and got through immigration and customs in about 30 minutes.
Our AF flight landed early around 11 am. We had Sky Priority and since most SP passengers seemed to be EU citizens, the non-citizen line was pretty short. Didn't see any kiosk options and so scanned our passports with an officer. We flown through FRA in November, so our biometrics were already in the system. There a bit of a wait for the first bags to come out, but ours were one of the first. We got to the RER/TGV train station by 11:40, ready to head to Gare de Lyon for our afternoon train. However, everything went so fast, we changed our tickets at the ticket office and caught a direct train leaving CDG at noon (it was too close to departure to change it online).
We were definitely lucky with the shorter line and our biometrics already being in the EES system. The next day, chatted with an expat friend about how smoothly everything went, and she mentioned she thinks that CDG made some upgrades to their overall arrivals process for of the 2024 Olympics. Obviously, YMMV depending on the bank of flights during that time of day, summer holidays are generally busier than mid-March, etc. But it went very smoothly for us, contrary to CDG's reputation.

You are being a little unfair to that poster.

EES is an integral part of the immigration control system. It isn’t some separate process that bypasses it.

To be honest whether the EES kiosks are working or not the line length at any time of day will be what it is - dependent on what other flights arrive around the same time as yours and where they are from.

if the kiosks aren’t working the immigration officer will still take your photo and finger prints.

My experience at other airports shows how variable it is

AMS - kiosks not available in January and K-Mar Officer did the photo and finger print. In March kiosks also not available but the officer didn’t do my photo or finger prints.

BER - in December kiosks working. In March I used the kiosks but the officer still took my photo and finger prints.

No doubt on my next entries at either airport the procedure will probably be totally different!

For the 1st time today, I have seen the EES kiosks in function and being used in CDG 2E (arrivals).

How were the lines?

relatively short.

Yesterday, T1, US citizen, started in line at 0740, @ baggage 0817 - so 37 minutes.

Details. Started in UK/US/Canada/Australia/Japan line. Maybe one plane load in front of me - but hard to tell. Plane load from Asia behind me.

There were 24 kiosks at the start of the line. All were closed.

Line minder was walking along the line, checking passports, I assumed for citizenship. But... 4 passengers in a row, myself as #3, were US. She looked inside each passport. For me, she lifted the barrier, and sent me to a seemingly shorter line - to an egate. Not sure what she was looking for in the passport.

My passport did not work at the egate, after 3 passport scans, 2 different egates - 'access denied, see border agent'.

Line minder pointed me to a rather short border agent line, maybe 12 people in front of me, with 1 border agent. Of course, not that short in terms of time - one passenger required another agent (perhaps a supervisor) and a fair amount of visible frustration on the part of the passenger and a family with two young children. It is what it is.

But, while we were in line, the line minders were escorting other US passport holders to the front of the line - adding an additional 8 passengers in front of me. Another passenger asked the line minder why this was occurring. Not a language barrier - the line minder simply stated that she had no idea, but that shouldn't be happening.

Finally, my turn, photo and fingerprints, and entered the country. But, 37 minutes was much shorter than I expected and I was able to make a 0900 TGV rather than having to wait for my ticketed 1100 TGV.

I'm not sure what else to call the 'line minders'. It seems derogatory. Maybe immigration guides? Anyhow, each and everyone of them, was very pleasant and patient.

This Morning around 7:55am at T2A, China passport, about 5-10mins in queue, no kisok, no stamp on passport.

Yesterday - T1 - check-in at UA Premier Access counter at 0932, at the Star Alliance lounge at 1004. A couple of caveats. Like at entry at CDG, the e-gate denied me access and I was sent to the regular line - but just 2 people in front of me. I asked the agent why I was denied at the e-gate again. She said 'I can't say' and ended the conversation. I'm not sure if that meant she didn't know or she wasn't going to tell me. And I had "Access 1" access through security - even though CDG is still in the 20th century, at least at T1 - i.e. everything off, everything out. (I was organized, but certainly others were not and my OK bags were held up because of the number of bags requiring additional scrutiny. All in all, 34 minutes - not bad!

Cleared at T2E the same day and approximate time as you. Had Sky Priority so walked up to the front of the non-existent line but shown e-gates, and no one to stamp passport. EES machines all light up red.

~12 days later entering @T2E again, EES kiosks all lit red. Short line st Access No1 where my prints sng mugshot were manually taken. Wife went to the EU line but cane back to the all passports line as just 3 gates were in use.

Anyone done transit to the US at CDG?
Tomorrow will be going 2F to 2E US to Schengen. Have 3.5 hours, so not worried, BUT on the way back, going BUD-CDG-MIA all on AF, I have only a 1:50 layover. Booked before the roll out. Normally, that would have been okay if flights are on time. But now with EES, I am a bit more concerned. I am assuming it will be the reverse 2E-2F. Is it a different passport control? Shorter lines? Easier going out than in?

Don't worry about EES, kiosks are deactivated at CDG, so regular procedures only.

Connecting from US to EU. Yesterday just the passport scan and facial recognition. Short line and took 5 minutes.

Departed Terminal 1 CDG about 8:30 Saturday morning. USA passport. Took 10 minutes max.

After entering "All Passports" line after the EU passports split off, the line helper was further splitting the line by nationality. I was directed to an e-gate, no kiosk.

First passport scan said "See Agent." Removed passport, waited a few seconds for the scan prompt and tried again. Worked and was through.

Interesting tidbit may be "See Agent" may just be a scan error.

Last Tuesday (May 12) flying BA to LHR, terminal 2C, we were directed to the All Passports line, then to e-gates. Scanned passports, stood for facial scans/photos, gate opened, done.

May 13 departure from T2A at noon, using priority line, almost no wait, agent took passport, seems scan visa, facial scan or took photo, no stamp. All passports passenger looks like need a 10-15mins queue except those who can use e-gates.