Car passengers travelling from the UK to France and onwards to other European countries will not be immediately subject to the EES biometric border checks that are set to be launched on October 12th.
The Port of Dover and Eurotunnel (Le Shuttle ,which is run by Getlink) have confirmed to The Local that the introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) will initially affect only coach travellers (Dover) and coaches and freight (Eurotunnel), when it is officially launched on October 12th.
The new EU border system will represent a major change for travellers to the Schengen area. First-time visitors non-EU visitors will have to provide biometric details, including fingerprints and a facial scan, complete a short questionnaire and scan their passports. The information will be gathered in an EU-wide system, where it will be kept for three years and renewed at each external border crossing of the Schengen area.
The EES will record all the entries and exists, tracking automatically time spent in the Schengen area to ensure that the rule allowing to stay 90 days in any 180-day period is complied with.
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Due to the complexity of this IT infrastructure, the launch of the EES has been delayed several times. The new date has now been set for October 12th, 2025, but last year the Commission proposed a phased approach, so not all border posts will go live at the same time.
Nor will all passengers passing through the ports be subject to EES from the start, with Dover and the Eurotunnel terminals in Folkestone and Calais opting for their own phased in approach.
Port of Dover
A spokesperson for the Port of Dover, where there are juxtaposed border checks for the Schengen area, told The Local that on October 12th the EES checks will only go live for people travelling by coach.
The remaining traffic, including the thousands of car passengers, who pass through each day, will be subject to the new system from November 1st.
From October 12th coach travellers arriving at Dover will have to go through the purpose-built Western Docks processing area. Passengers will disembark to register at special EES kiosks, go through passport control in a new hall, and re-board the coach, which will be sealed and driven onwards to the ferry terminal.
There will be 12 self-registration kiosks for people travelling by coach, and 72 available for car passengers, the spokesperson said.
Dover also said they had been informed that French authorities “will provide staffing levels as required to manage traffic levels.”
Authorities at the port also said that passengers exempt from EES checks – including EU/Schengen nationals plus non-EU nationals legally resident in France and other EU/Schengen states – should skip the EES checks and “go directly to the Border to be processed.”
The UK-France border has long been regarded as one of the biggest potential trouble points due to a combination of high passenger numbers and juxtaposed border checks.
READ ALSO Why is the UK-France border such a problem for EES?
The Port of Dover is regarded as being particularly problematic – it has already seen long queues at peak travel times since Brexit, while its cramped site has made it difficult to install the new infrastructure required.
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Eurotunnel
At the Eurotunnel terminal “implementation will begin with freight and coach traffic” on October 12th. “Passenger vehicles will follow a few weeks later, with the exact start date to be confirmed shortly by the French authorities,” a media spokesperson told The Local.
In total, 224 biometrics kiosks have been installed at Eurotunnel terminals, of which 106 are at Folkestone and 118 at Calais.
Eurotunnel also told The Local that those exempt from EES checks (EU/Schengen nationals, residents in EU/ Schengen states) would simply avoid going through the EES registration area and proceed directly to the border.
“When the vehicle arrives at the terminal, all passengers, regardless of status, check-in at the kiosk. If identified as EU citizens, the vehicle will continue its journey without entering the EES biometric data area,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Eurotunnel terminals will be able to process up to 550 vehicles per hour, “accommodating approximately 1,500 passengers”.
Eurotunnel has invested €80 million in the new EES infrastructure.
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“We are using artificial intelligence, thanks to a digital twin we created, to simulate passenger flows during peak periods and under various conditions. This modelling has helped determine the optimal number of EES lanes required to maintain smooth traffic flow both at the terminals and on surrounding motorways,” they added.
There have been concerns that slowing the traffic at Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal could cause major queues in the UK. But port authorities will be able to suspend checks for short periods should the situation become critical.
Airports
French airports will also be using a phased introduction of the system, however at the time of writing the French Interior Ministry said it is still finalising details of exactly how and when each airport will start using the system.
Overall, airports are not expected to present as much of a problem as the Dover and Folkestone crossings, although it could lead to longer queues at passport control.
Information campaigns
Eurotunnel Le Shuttle says it will provide guidance to passengers and freight customers will receive “dedicated information regarding the new process for non- EU drivers”.
The Home Office is also due to launch soon a communications campaign to help prepare British travellers for the new EU border checks, The Local understands.
