I am registered and it rejected my fairly new biometric USA passport yesterday at T1 in FRA, so that is clearly not accurate. The signs at the E-gate very clearly indicated that they were only for EU/EEA residents.

It's available in MUC T1 &T2:

https://www.munich-airport.com/autom...ontrol-1028169

So confusing…

The only signs I remembered allowing exit out with US passport (or non-EU) was ex-FRA (this was pre COVID).

Two weeks ago, no sign indicating US passport (non-EU) are allowed at egates when exiting via transit at FRA. Also no sign listing US/non-EU allowed exiting at DUS.

Not really, this is in preparation for the new EU EES which will start in October 2025. Under the new system people will be able to leave the EU using the egates.

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en

Well, we are not in October yet. How is it supposed to work now? AFAIK there is no signage in FRA telling people with US or other eligible passports to exit through the egates. In fact, there are staff directing people with US passports to the long queue. And then the egates actually didn’t work with my US passport (so the signage and staff instructions are apparently correct).

But then it seems to work differently in MUC (no experience, just going by your post).

And people who are registered for EasyPass report that it doesn’t work for them. Unclear why.

And then there is discussion that the registration may only be good for one year when the website says for life of passport.

Okay, I will agree isn’t just confusing. It’s a mess.

I've been enrolled for several years now and it doesn't always work in FRA, although sometime it appears to be a technical issue rather than an enrollment issue. In MUC, for several years now US passports have always worked on entry - the egates on the far left worked exclusive of enrollment. And it was always a time-saver. This is my expereince but I've used the program on the same passport successfully many times (and a few not). In FRA this was entry/transit/exit experiences.

The EES has been postponed a few times now but Germany is ready for it to start at FRA/MUC. The MUC setup is currently being tested with pax, FRA has the same setup. Your biometric data is read from the chip on the passport and the exit is done by matching your face to the biometric data and the check with the SIS. EES will replace Easypass RTP in Germany when it comes into force.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/germany-al...115942723.html

British Citizens will be eligible to register for EasyPass-RTP by the end of next month!
Finally!

As a follow-up to my failure to exit at FRA in June with a USA passport, I returned to BER in July and was unable to use the gate to enter. My husband, who enrolled at the same time, had no issues getting through. Back to the regular queue for me. 20 minutes later, I joined him at baggage claim, and proceeded to the enrollment office at BER to follow up. After several minutes, they were able to confirm that I was enrolled in the system and had no advice for why it failed both times.

FWIW, I have the newer style USA passport with the solid plastic info page, so there is really not a lot of room for error when inserting it into the reader (it was all the way in and I was holding it down, but no luck on multiple attempts; my husband has the older style with a paper info page). I have used similar readers in several countries countless times over the years, and the only issues I have ever had in the past where when the paper page gets caught up and bends slightly at the base of the page, which is an easy fix and definitely not the issue here. And of course, no agent available to assist in either occasion, so no choice but to use the regular line. I left Schengen from BRU, so no second attempt at an exit. Needless to say, not a fan of EasyPass.

had the same issue in FRA today. Did not work going from A to Z. Fortunately the regular line was pretty short. Actually the last few times I’ve used it it has not worked. And the workers guiding people know nothing about it and insist an American passport won’t work (which was proven correct).

Funny how other countries get this to work reliably without registration.....it cannot be that hard. :rolleyes:

RTP is going away this fall anyway. ;)

And of course this is oh so terrible compared to a foreigner passing immigration to the land of the free. :D

Agreed. The contrôle passeport for the USA is really just the worst. I avoid whenever possible, thankfully no need for me to go there much.

Easy Pass RTP in Munich [MUC]
 

Are US citizens arriving at MUC from the US able to use the Easy Pass kiosks when going through immigration? If so, is it faster?

yes you can use it if you are registered on easy pass rtp

https://www.easypass.de/EasyPass/EN/...home_node.html

the following third-country citizens (after successful registration in EasyPASS-RTP) can use the system:

• United States of America
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
• Republic of Korea
• Taiwan
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

I am sorry i do not know if it is quicker

You can only know if it's faster when you arrive there. Generally, Easy Pass is faster than the "All Other Passports" line. But, if there is no queue for "All Other Passports" you should probably choose that. And I only say that because 75% of the time I use the Easy Pass line (including just 48 hours ago) I get asked where my residency card is. The border guards automatically assume as a US citizen I have a residency permit. Instead of trying to explain what Easy Pass is I now just say "no" and they usually don't say anything. No, that doesn't greatly slow down the entire process but no line in "All Other Passports" is much faster than waiting for the machine to scan my passport, having my picture taken, waiting for the computer to process it, and then alerting me and the border guard they need to stamp my passport.

But as the poster above me correctly stated, you must be registered for Easy Pass. Registration is usually in the main terminal (MUC, FRA, etc.) after passport control. So if you don't already have it you can't use it on your next arrival.

-RM

in FRA, registration is in the main terminal upstairs, pre-security and pre-passport control. Exact location is posted upthread. Can’t speak to MUC.

Yes. "After passport control" in this case refers to having arrived in FRA as the OP is talking about which is what my reply refers to.

From your perspective you're talking about someone coming in off the streets of Frankfurt which is not what my reply was for.

-RM

EES vs Easypass RTP
 

I hold a UK passport and going via FRA next month.
Obviously I will need to register for EES at the machines in FRA on arriving from the UK but is it worthwhile then registering for EasyPass- RTP as well?
Not sure whether it will make transit through FRA / MUC any quicker since I have multiple trips coming up next year where I will have to go through FRA or MUC. All will be on Transit to other countries.
Thank you for any advice.

The office at MUC is overlooks the courtyard between Terminals 1 and 2, above the McDonald's.
That's where I enrolled, took about 30 minutes.

Can someone clarify what that process is at FRA now? I'm flying into Germany in Feb and have registered with EasyPass RTP (last June). I assume that I need to stop at the EES kiosks to register for that. Can I still use the EasyPass automated gates once I have done the EES registration? Not sure what the current arrival setup is at FRA.

While I can't answer you question fully since I do not have Easypass, the EES kiosks have not been active the last two times I have travelled through FRA.
I have a UK passport and even though MUC have started the EES registration, FRA has been old school passport control with a person who was stamping the passports.

Is RTP expiration one year from registration or life of passport? It was the former but last year, but last June, the gate gave me an error and it was more than a one year since registration and someone upthread reported they were told one year expiration. The immigration officer didn't know why it didn't work. RTP website still list valid for duration of passport.

When I registered in March 2025, the Bundespolizei officer told me it was only good for a year, certain published information says it is good for the life of the passport, however the registration form has text in it that reduces the validity period based on EES going into effect to a maximum of 1 year after EES goes into effect (screenshot and link below) until it is renewed. Presumably this is based on October 12 as the EES effective date.

There's no information on if you need to manually extend it, ask to have it extended, or if it happens automatically with an automatic decision rendered when you go through border control during the 90 day renewal window.

Registration Form

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6b0523d70b.png

Answering my own question, sort of. Arrived at the Z gates in FRA and went to the border control at the end of the Z gates (on the same level as the Z security and gates - just to the right of the security checkpoint when exiting the secure area for Z). No automated passport gates there, just several EES kiosks and several agents. No lines, so I registered for EES, then went to the agents. Passport was stamped by agent. Departing from FRA, I used the automated gates and didn't get the "see agent" sign, so walked on through.

IN MUC T1 they are splitting the EU/EEA pax from the non EU pax on arrival and herding the latter towards the EES facilities. Curiously at the EU/EEA egates there is an ad for Easypass RTP with a QR code to get more information 🤭

I’ve belatedly seen this is now available to Uk passport holders. So I’ve filled in the form in preparation for the end of the month when I’m next in Berlin.

i just need to remember to visit the police station before leaving the airport! Though I suppose I could do it when I head back home.

I’ve just travelled through Munich Terminal 2 non-Schengen at the H gates (UK passport holder, registered with EasyPass-RTP) and there were no EasyPass signs on any of the e-gates, all non-EU passport holders were required to use the EES enrolment machines in order to leave the Schengen area.

it was the same story entering the Schengen area a few days before in the same terminal, no EasyPass signs on any of the gates.

I’m not sure if EasyPass-RTP has been suspended or completely removed from here as I’ve mostly used it at Frankfurt in the past.

A bit more information is now available. This is certainly annoying if renewal has to happen in person.

Will everyone who already in the program subject to this initial registration 1-year period?

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8e9c6bcfe0.png

Also - does it mean you do not have to use the EES registration kiosk with RTP? Or perhaps still requires one visit to register fingerprints every three years?

This seems to have made it even more complicated, participation is valid for a maximum of 6 years, but at the same time is also only valid for 1 year after initial registration and has to be reassessed each year, but can now be done at the border. Presumably the 6 year/document expiry scenario will require a visit to the police office at one of the airports again as per first registration.

I also wonder if the officers at the border will see that someone is within 90 days of their annual expiry and offer to go through the reassessment process. I guess those of us who registered within the past year will find out in the coming months how that works.

BERLIN
 

I handed my pre completed and printed form and my passport over at BER on 30th March and the officer said he entered all the details off the form into the system and handed the form and passport back - took about 10 minutes for him to do that.

I asked what happened next and he just said he didn't know he just entered the data!

So either I get some notification via email at some point or on my next arrival into BER I'll find out when I try to use the e-gates if I've been approved (or not),

QQ on that do I still need to use the EES kiosks or just go straight to the e-gates?

At BER the police office is located above the departures level. I took the lift up from the arrivals level to departures. Look for the 'Adler & Bar' cafe then go around it and take the lift or stairs up one more level to where the Starbucks is. Then the police station is a walk to the left. Ring the bell and an officer will come and ask you what you want.

I'm confused as to what EasyPass RTP does for you over EES. As I noted earlier, at FRA there weren't any automated gates when I passed through passport control so I don't know what EasyPass does any more. This could have been the specific entry point I used at FRA (end of Z pier on level 3). I was able to use the automated exit gates when leaving Germany (again, Z pier on Level 3). I went ahead and used the EES kiosk to register my fingerprints, so I have no idea if EasyPass RTP did anything for me when I went to the agent.

I was at FRA just few days ago (before EES fully started) - arrived at Z19 (a clean arrival - so I walked up the stairs and went straight into the non-Schengen departure area) and was able to use the egates to reach gate B5. The line to manual desks wasn’t bad this time, but egates did save one or two connections for me in the past year.
​​​​
I always find egates available at FRA - but I do remember seeing one row of manual desks without egates next to them though. But a few steps over, you will find another set of manual desks and egates (many 4?) are on the right. So these could be hidden from your view depending on your route. I think it might be the case for you. If you are eligible to use the egates on departure, RTP is a bit less valuable.

The term 'easypass' refers to the egates installed at German airports. I think that registered non EU citizens can skip the EES machines and use the egates directly.

Still no e-mail resulting from my submiitting the forms on 30th March - see post #192

Is this normal or should I just assume I've been awarded and just use the e-gates on my next arrival in July?

When I registered for it at FRA about 6 months ago, I was able to use e-gates with the EasyPass logo about an hour later, so you should be fine in July.

Was at DUS today around 15h. My flight was the only one at this time.

Went to kiosk and captured photo and fingerprints. It then directed me to EasyPass.

But easypass gate rejected me. I was also registered with RTP last June so should still be valid.

Officer stamped me in. Will try to register with easypass again. This hasn’t work last three attempts.

I wonder if it would have worked if you didn’t go to the kiosk first. That latest update on the RTP website seems to indicate that the information the kiosk captures isn’t needed if you are RTP registered.

Is there an email address for EasyPass/BundesPolizei? I know in my form the officer who did it put my email address in wrong, so I wanted to email to try to have it corrected?