You have followed the steps at an EES self-service device, and the screen or an employee directs you to a border officer. This is not a reason to conclude you have been refused entry or repeat everything at another kiosk. Establish which stage you need next, where you may go and what to tell the officer about steps already completed. Returning to the bus requires proper completion of control, not merely a screen that has stopped asking questions.
This article concerns checkpoints where such a device is actually available and its use has been explained to you. It does not mean every bus border has a kiosk or that it suits every passenger. Authorised services determine traveller categories, required data and the current procedure. Do not search for a device instead of following an employee’s direct instruction.
Entering data in advance does not complete border control
The French interior ministry’s official explanation describes kiosks as one way to preregister data before checks at an official desk. Moving from the device to an officer can therefore be an intended part of the procedure. Do not describe every referral as an additional investigation or draw conclusions solely from interface colours or sounds.
Equally, successfully completing a device step is not independent permission to enter. The kiosk, official desk and exit from the controlled zone are different stages. If unsure whether checks are complete, ask the responsible employee. Another passenger already heading to the coach does not determine your outcome.
Clarify the instruction rather than guessing
Calmly read the available message and ask for an explanation if unclear. You can say: “The device directed me to an officer. Which desk should I go to, and what should I have with me?” If the message has disappeared, explain that. Do not invent an error code or claim the system rejected your passport when no such text appeared.
Do not photograph the screen, passport or official premises contrary to local restrictions. Explaining initially usually requires the message’s meaning, not an impressive picture for chat. If an employee needs the exact instruction or device number, ask how to communicate it in a permitted way. Do not adjust equipment settings yourself.
Clarify the correct queue and permitted route
There may be different passenger flows. A companion in a shorter queue does not mean your next stage is there too. Ask where to wait after using this device, whether to remain nearby and how you will be called. Do not cross a barrier or staff passage merely because you can see the desk you need.
When instructions are oral, briefly repeat the key point: “So I wait by this desk and then show the same passport?” Checking understanding is more useful than silent agreement followed by wandering. If a personal need makes access to the queue difficult, explain it to the employee rather than creating your own route around the controlled area.
Do not start again without instructions
Randomly rescanning at a neighbouring kiosk is not a universal fix. First explain that you have already used a device and what result appeared. An employee will decide whether to repeat a step, approach a desk or do something else. Do not try different spellings merely to obtain a different screen.
Do not insert your companion’s passport instead of yours or swap documents between devices as an experiment. Even within a family, every action must correspond to a particular person and document. If you accidentally started someone else’s stage, tell an officer immediately rather than trying to conceal it with more button presses.
Tell the officer the sequence, not your own theory of the cause
A useful account gives simple facts: the document used, what you did at the device and where it directed you. For example: “I scanned my passport, followed the steps and then received an instruction to come here.” Do not add “I am not in the database” or “my record disappeared” unless the system or employee confirmed this.
If some information was unclear or you doubt an answer was correct, identify the specific field. Do not change your travel history to fit an accidental response. Truthful clarification gives the officer a basis for the next action; a confident invented explanation may create a new discrepancy instead of completing a routine stage.
Distinguish a referral from particular circumstances
Speaking to an employee does not itself prove a problem with fingerprints, your passport or entry entitlement. If you have an actual physical obstacle to a step, explain it separately and follow competent instructions. This differs from an ordinary device message. For preparation, read about being unable to provide fingerprints because of finger condition.
Likewise, do not apply another passenger’s message to yourself when their documents or status differ. Even on the same bus, individual steps may differ. General guidance on who EES covers and which data are checked helps preparation but does not replace assessment of your category on site.
Your companion completed their stage earlier
Do not try to pass together merely to avoid separation. Clarify the permitted waiting place and means of contact. If an employee gives different instructions, tell each other your actual stage without promising equal completion times. A companion cannot complete your personal check for you or take your document to another queue.
Families should arrange access to tickets and contacts beforehand. However, do not move a child or belongings between sectors yourself for convenience. If accompaniment or assistance is needed, explain the group to the responsible employee and establish an allowed solution. This article does not set universal rules for children using kiosks at every border.
What to tell the bus crew
When permitted and necessary for coordination, say you are still completing checks, are at the designated official location and have no confirmed return time. Add your seat or ticket number and an available contact channel. Do not write “I was refused” unless a separate decision was communicated, or “all done” while still waiting for an officer.
Do not send the general chat photographs of your passport, screen or other people’s data for the crew to “work it out”. It needs your transport status and contact. The service clarifies the substance of the state procedure. If checks genuinely become a separate additional examination, use the relevant guidance on crew contact during additional identity checks without applying that situation to every kiosk referral.
Check the next step after the official desk
Once the conversation ends, clarify where to go next and whether all required steps at this stage are complete. Make sure you received your own document, not merely a similar cover. Do not return behind the device to photograph the result for the bus: the competent authority determines how to obtain any document concerning a specific decision.
Notify the crew of actual completion if you previously said you were waiting. The coach may meanwhile have moved under the prescribed arrangements. Establish the permitted route to your vehicle rather than follow the first person with a suitcase. Leaving the official desk should not create a new mistake in identifying your service.
What to prepare before travelling
Keep your own document accessible, save the verified service contact and agree with a companion how to exchange short updates. Do not buy third-party “kiosk activation” or “fast registration” merely because an advertisement appears alongside bus content. An official description of devices does not require paying an unknown person for permission to undergo checks.
If oral explanations are difficult to understand, prepare a short phrase asking for repetition or for the next place to be shown. This is not a script for answers about your visit’s purpose: the facts of your trip remain yours. Preparation should help communicate a need, not provide a memorised attempt to evade an officer’s question.
Official sources and currency
Checked on 23 October 2026: official guidance on how EES works, EES questions and answers and the French interior ministry on preregistration devices. The latter describes French arrangements; it does not prove identical equipment exists on every route. Follow current official instructions on site.
Questions and answers
Does a kiosk referral to an employee mean refusal?
Do not conclude this from the referral alone. An officer’s check may be the intended next stage. Establish the separate outcome with the competent service, not assumptions about the interface.
Should I repeat everything at another kiosk?
Do not repeat randomly. Tell an employee what you have already done and establish the next required step. Repeat an action when instructed to do so.
Can I photograph the message so I do not forget?
Do not take photographs contrary to checkpoint restrictions. Ask an employee to explain or help communicate the content in a permitted way. Do not publish official screens or personal data in the service chat.
My companion has been released. Can I follow them?
Their completion does not confirm yours. Clarify your stage and permitted waiting place. If assistance or accompaniment is needed, tell the responsible employee.
What should I tell the crew if there is no completion time?
That checks continue, where you are and how to contact you. Do not call an unconfirmed referral a refusal or promise a return based on your own prediction.