You can check which destinations you need a visa for on our website under the section Apply for an eVisa. Make sure to check early and apply for your visa well in advance of your trip.
In addition to your identity card or passport, you might need to present additional documents, such as a visa, when entering the country. With our partner Sherpa, you can find out online with just a few clicks if you need a visa or not.
Make sure to check in advance for entry requirements, travel, and safety advice for your destination country.
API stands for “Advanced Passenger Information”.
For flights to or from the countries listed below, airlines are legally obliged to transmit extended passenger information, the so-called API data.
For detailed information on the topic and the API data form, take a look here.
The Mexico Electronic Travel Authorization SAE is available for citizens of Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey. Therefore, these individuals are allowed to enter Mexico as tourists, business travelers, or transit travelers without a visa.
Notes on the SAE Program:
Requirements to obtain the electronic approval:
No, the entry card for Cuba is not included in the flight price. You can buy entry tickets at the Condor ticket counter at Frankfurt Airport for 25 euros. If you're on a feeder flight, buy your tickets directly at the departure gate for our Cuba flight.
If you've booked your holiday through a tour operator, please contact them directly to find out the current prices for entry cards.
Yes, the departure tax for San Jose 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 of non-EU citizens and covers every entry and exit to the Schengen area. The system replaces manual passport stamps with biometric data - a facial image and fingerprints - as well as information on 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 introduced gradually at all border control points, with some locations being converted earlier than others.
The EES focuses on the electronic registration of the entry and exit of non-EU citizens. In contrast, ETIAS is an online travel authorisation that many visa-exempt travellers 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 broader 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 travellers 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 have other data storage rules due to their right to move freely.
At border crossings, you can use self-service terminals or special counters for biometric registration. Upon your first entry under the EES, 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 happens directly at the border. However, make sure you're travelling 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 done 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, you should 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 point, you should follow the signs to the self-service kiosks or the special EES queues. 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 stays 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 introduction of the EES, 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 involved in the external borders of the Schengen area and from 12 October 2025, will include both EU and Schengen-associated states. Some countries, like the Republic of Cyprus and Ireland, aren't part of the Schengen external border regime, so the EES doesn't apply to them.
The official start date for the EES is 12 October 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 modernise border managementthroughout the Schengen area by replacing manual passport stamps with digital records. Furthermore, it is 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 travellers whose biometric data is already stored to cross borders more quickly.