If you’re flying into Václav Havel Airport Prague from outside the Schengen area, it’s worth knowing that Prague airport passport control can take a lot longer right now than it used to — sometimes adding hours to the journey from your plane landing to actually walking out of the arrivals hall.
The main reason is busy passport control at Terminal 1. Things have also been affected by the EES (Entry/Exit System), which the EU launched in October 2025 and which has been fully up and running at Schengen’s external borders since 10 April 2026. If you want to understand exactly how EES works and whether it applies to you, we’ve written a separate article about it.
This isn’t just a technical detail, it can genuinely affect your first day in a new country.
Long queues at Prague airport passport control
In mid-September, there were reports of passengers at Terminal 1 waiting several hours for passport control. This tends to happen when a number of flights from outside Schengen land around the same time.
Prague Airport is aware of the pressure too. In early September, it announced it would expand the border control area at Terminal 1, saying that the EES rollout has added even more strain on capacity.
A quick note on terminals: Terminal 1 handles flights from outside the Schengen area, while Terminal 2 is for flights within Schengen.
Why does EES make things slower?
EES electronically records entries and exits for certain non-EU citizens travelling to Schengen for a short stay. As part of this, your travel document, a photo of your face, and your fingerprints are recorded.
In the long run, this system is meant to make border checks faster and more digital. But at busy times, processing everyone can take longer, especially if a lot of people arrive at once.
The good news: EES doesn’t apply to everyone from a non-EU country. For example, you’re not registered in the system if you already hold a valid long-term visa or residence permit issued by a country that’s part of EES. This also includes people travelling on a so-called D/VR visa (the entry visa used to collect a residence permit in the Czech Republic), for example when finishing the process for an employee card or a Blue Card.
EES mainly applies to non-EU citizens entering Schengen for a short stay of up to 90 days within any 180-day period (for instance, for a business trip, a meeting, or a short training course).
Airport upgrades are underway — expect this until spring 2027
Prague Airport, together with the Czech Police, is currently upgrading the border control area at Terminal 1.
Once finished, there will be five new passport control desks and four self-service EasyGoGate e-gates, plus more space for people waiting in line.
Work started in September 2026 and is due to finish by the end of April 2027. So it’s sensible to build in some extra time over the coming months, too.
A few tips if you’re arriving soon:
- Don’t book anything important right after landing. Picking up your keys, meeting a relocation specialist, or visiting your new office is best planned with a comfortable buffer.
- If someone’s picking you up from the airport, warn them things might run late. Your landing time isn’t a reliable guide anymore for when you’ll actually reach the arrivals hall.
- Let your employer or relocation contact know your travel plans in advance.
- Check which visa or permit you’re travelling on. It makes a real difference to what you’ll go through at the border.
- If you’re flying in the day before you start work, plan for delays. A few extra hours at the airport can eat into time you’d planned for resting or settling into your accommodation.
Longer queues at Prague Airport aren’t a reason to panic or change your travel plans. But it’s a good idea to build a bit of extra time into your schedule for now.
If you’re not sure whether EES applies to you, what documents you’ll need on arrival, or how to plan your move to the Czech Republic, our immigration specialists are happy to help. Get in touch and we’ll make sure your arrival goes as smoothly as possible.
Source of Photo: Canva
Source of Text: blog.zamestnavamecizince.cz, idnes.cz, prg.aero, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
