Enrolling for EasyPASS-RTP at Frankfurt Airport

When entering the Schengen Area, non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are required to go through manual border control upon arrival… except if they arrive in Germany and are enrolled in the EasyPASS-RTP program.

What is EasyPASS-RTP?

EasyPASS is the German government’s name for their eGates used for automated border control. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens qualify to use it.

EasyPASS-RTP is for those who don’t qualify to use EasyPASS automatically, but can register manually with the German Federal Police to use it.

I first learned about this from the CBP on their website. U.S. citizens are one of the few nationalities that Germany allows to enroll for the EasyPASS-RTP program, most likely because the U.S. government shares information with the German federal police (Bundespolizei).

Interestingly enough, one doesn’t have to be a Global Entry member to become an EasyPASS-RTP member. You just need to fill out a form at the Bundespolizei office at a major German airport. For most people, this will be either the Frankfurt Airport or the Munich Airport.

Preparations before going to Germany

Before going to Germany, you should print out this PDF form, fill it out, and bring it with you to Germany: https://www.easypass.de/EasyPass/EN/Service/Downloads/Documents/BPOL_110236a_questionnaire-for-enrolment-EasyPASS-RTP_file.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2

Tips:

• The name field means your family name/last name. Don’t put your first name there.
• If you have a middle name, don’t put it in the first name field.
• Don’t sign and date the form just yet—wait until they review your form to do it in front of them.

If the above link is broken, try visiting https://www.easypass.de/EasyPass/EN/Service/Downloads/downloads_node.html and clicking on “Questionnaire to participate in the German registered traveller programme EasyPASS-RTP”.

Enrollment procedures in Germany

Here’s the steps I followed upon arriving at Frankfurt Airport:

1. Clear regular arrival immigration (hopefully for the last time!) by talking with the border control officer. (Thankfully, the line was very short for me.)
2. Exit the secured area and enter Terminal 1, Area B.
3. Go to this place on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ThM4hXmZfTqevczE6
4. Follow the escalators for concourses D and E and the signage for the federal police service center.
5. Walk into the office at the end of the hallway. Show your U.S. passport and tell them (in English) you want to sign up for EasyPASS-RTP. No appointment is needed; walking in is totally fine.
6. Give them your passport and completed form. They will have you sign and date the form. Then, they will take it and put your info into the system.

Theoretically, the systems should allow you to use EasyPASS-RTP immediately, but the police officer told me it would definitely be ready by the next day.

Next time you go through immigration checks in Germany, ask to go through the automated border control (Automatische Grenzkontrolle) line and say you are enrolled in EasyPASS. While the gates won’t allow us to immediately walk through (as the border agents will still need to manually stamp your passport per Schengen regulations), it saves us a trip in the manual processing line.

Closing thoughts

EasyPASS-RTP is a convenient offering for U.S. citizens that will allow us to skip the line at German airports when going through Schengen immigration checks. The sign up process is relatively quick and painless, it’s free, and only requires a one-time enrollment.