You can check which destinations you need a visa for on our website under Apply for an eVisa . Please inquire early enough and apply for your visa in good time before your trip.
Along with your ID card or passport, you might need to show additional documents, such as a visa, when entering the country. With our partner Sherpa, you can easily check online whether you need a visa or not.
Please check in good time for entry requirements and travel and safety information for your destination.
API stands for “Advanced Passenger Information”.
For flights to or from the countries listed below, airlines are required by law to provide detailed passenger information, known as API data.
Detailed information on this topic and the APIS passenger data form can be found here.
The electronic SAE permit is available for citizens of Ukraine, Russia and Turkey. This allows these citizens to enter Mexico as tourists, business travelers or transit travelers without a visa.
Notes on the SAE program:
Requirements to obtain the electronic permit:
No, the tourist card for Cuba is not included in the fare. You can buy tourist cards at the Condor ticket counter at Frankfurt Airport for 25 euros. If you are using a feeder flight, buy your cards at the departure gate for our Cuba flight.
If you have booked your vacation through a tour operator, please contact them directly to find out the prices for the entry cards.
Yes, the departure tax for San José is included in the ticket price.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a digital border control system operated by eu-LISA . It applies to short stays by non-EU citizens and covers every entry into and exit from the Schengen Area. The system replaces manual passport stamps with biometric data– a facial image and fingerprints – as well as information about the travel document and the time and place of the border crossing. By using digital records instead of manual checks, the EES reduces errors, improves verification and strengthens border security. It will be gradually rolled out at all border control points, with some locations being converted earlier than others.
The EES focuses on electronic registration of entry and exit by non-EU citizens. In contrast, ETIAS is an online travel authorization that many visa-exempt travelers must get before their trip and is currently scheduled to roll out by the end of 2026. Together, EES and ETIAS form part of the EU's wider border management systems.
The EES applies to non-EU citizens who travel to the Schengen area for a short stay of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. This applies to travelers from visa-free countries as well as holders of short-stay visas. EU and Schengen citizens, people with a residence permit for a longer stay and certain other groups may be exempt depending on national regulations. Family members of EU citizens may also be subject to other data storage regulation due to their right to move freely.
At border crossings, you can use self-service terminals or special counters for biometric registration. When you use the EES for the first time, you enter your biometric data and travel document for registration. On subsequent trips, you can easily verify your identity using the biometric data already stored, which speeds up the process at the self-service terminals.
Before your trip, no further steps are required – no online form and no prior registration, as the EES registration takes place directly at the border.
Prior registration for the EES before your trip isn't required, as registration occurs directly at the border. However, make sure you're traveling with a valid biometric passport with an electronic chip and plan enough time for the updated procedures when you arrive.
If your passport does not contain an electronic chip, you can't use the automated self-service kiosks that are based on biometric matching. In this case, you'll be processed manually by border officials at a manned counter. You'll still be registered in the EES, but the process might take longer as the biometric data collection is carried out directly by the official. If you're using an older passport and travel to Europe regularly, it's a good idea to renew your passport before your trip to reduce the processing time at the border.
The EES stores information about personal travel documents, including your name, nationality, document number and the date, time and location of each border crossing. In addition, biometric data like facial images and fingerprints of most visa-free visitors are stored when they first cross the border. Children under 12 years old don’t have to have their fingerprints taken, but a photo of them will be taken. In addition, the system registers exit dates when you leave the Schengen area to calculate your allowed length of stay, monitor the maximum allowed length of stay and prevent overstays.
All information collected under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is securely stored and managed by eu-LISA, the EU agency responsible for large-scale information systems. The data will be processed in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and used exclusively for legitimate border management and security purposes.
To ensure smoother clearance under the EES, use a biometric passport with an electronic chip and arrive at the airport in time to go through the updated border formalities. If available at your arrival destination, follow the signs to the self-service kiosks or the special EES lines. Children under 12 years of age may be exempt from having their fingerprints taken, but must still have a photograph registered as part of the procedure.
Your flight booking with Condor remains unchanged. At your destination airport in the Schengen area, you might find slightly modified border control procedures, like biometric registration. In the first few months after the EES is introduced, you might experience longer waiting times until the system is fully operational. So, make sure to allow extra time for check-in and arrival. Also check out Condor's flights from the USA to Europe to stay updated on travel planning and the new entry/exit system.
The EES covers the 29 countries that form the external border of the Schengen area and from October 12, 2025, will include both EU and Schengen-associated states. Some countries, like the Republic of Cyprus and the Republic of Ireland, aren't part of the Schengen external border scheme, so the EES doesn't apply to them.
The official start date for the EES is October 12, 2025. The introduction will take place gradually, with the member states implementing the system at the external border crossings over a period of approximately six months until around April 2026. During this transitional phase, some border control points may continue to use manual passport stamps or a mixed procedure until full implementation.
The EES is being introduced to modernize border management throughout the Schengen area by replacing manual passport stamps with digital records. It is also intended to improve the tracking of authorized stays, reduce overstays, limit identity fraud and enhance security at the external borders. In the long term, the system will help to simplify travel by enabling returning travelers whose biometric data is already stored to cross borders more quickly.