After landing from a non-Schengen country, the route leads inevitably through border control. How long that takes depends mostly on one question: eGate or counter?
Who Can Use the eGates?
The automated EasyPASS gates are open to travellers aged 12 and over with an electronic passport from the EU/EEA or Switzerland (Germans can also use their ID card) and to holders of a German residence permit or long-stay visa. Citizens of the USA, the UK, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong can use them too, but only after a one-time registration with the Federal Police for the EasyPASS-RTP programme; other non-EU passports, including Canadian, Australian, Japanese and Singaporean ones, are not eligible. Passport on the reader, look at the camera, done — usually under a minute per person.
Counter Control: Allow Time
All other nationalities (and travellers whose passport the eGate rejects) go to the staffed booths. At peak times — mornings after the intercontinental wave — 20–45 minutes are realistic.
The eGate question decides connections more often than the punctuality of the flight does.
EES: What Changes for Non-EU Travellers
With the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), fully operational since 10 April 2026, the entries and exits of non-EU citizens on short stays are recorded digitally (fingerprints, facial image) instead of with a passport stamp. Your first crossing under EES takes a few minutes longer for registration — plan accordingly. At Frankfurt, travellers with a biometric passport can register at a self-service kiosk (scan passport, photo, fingerprints) before a brief check at the desk; children under 12 and anyone without a biometric passport are registered at the counter. Fraport is introducing the kiosks in stages, so not every checkpoint has one yet.
ETIAS, the separate online travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, is not running yet: the EU says it will announce the start date several months in advance, and the fee has been set at €20. See our EES guide and ETIAS guide.
Practical Tips
- In Terminal 3, non-Schengen flights arrive via the dedicated arrivals level on Pier J — the walking routes are short and well signed.
- Connecting Schengen → non-Schengen? Allow at least 60–90 minutes.
- Your pickup waits beyond customs: with a booked transfer, the driver watches the landing and waits, with 90 minutes of free waiting time included for every pickup. More in the Frankfurt Airport guide, or book your pickup directly.
However long the eGate queue runs, your onward ride adjusts: FrankfurtRide tracks your actual arrival, and the fixed-price city transfer includes 90 minutes of free waiting time.
