Greece confirms no EES biometrics for UK tourists this summer

Greece's tourism minister confirmed on May 11 that British travelers will continue to avoid biometric checks under the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES) when entering or leaving the country through the busy summer season.

Olga Kefalogianni told reporters that the government has facilitated border procedures to ensure processing takes less than two minutes for UK passport holders, sparing them the long queues reported at other European airports. "We really want our travelers to have the best experience and we understand that any inconvenience getting into Greece or exiting would cause frustration," she said. "We really don't want anyone to have to face a lot of bureaucracy, so we have managed to facilitate the system in order for British citizens to not have any burden, especially at the airports. So it's just a very easy way to come in and exit the country."

The EES, which became operational across the 29-nation Schengen zone on April 10, requires non-EU nationals like Britons to register biometric data, including four fingerprints and a facial scan on first entry, with one biometric checked on subsequent trips. The system aims to replace manual passport stamping with...