2 hours ago
5
Biometric registration to visit the EU may not be fully enforced for another nine months, with border officials allowed to relax the rules to alleviate queues or chaos at ports after the system finally goes live.
In just over two weeks, Eurotunnel, Eurostar and the Port of Dover will all open new biometric registration kiosks in the UK, installed at a cost of tens of millions of pounds.
But the system will now take effect on 12 October for only a minority of travellers, and full compliance will not be enforced until 12 April 2026.
According to Eurostar and Eurotunnel, there will also be an additional 90 days’ grace period during which the entry-exit system [EES] can be scaled back, under the direction of French border authorities, in case of operational failures.
The much-delayed new system requires all non-EU citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed before entering the EU, with their identifying features and information held on a central European database for three years.
The biometrics must be collected at the border under the supervision of immigration officers. Passengers flying to the EU will have the new checks on landing at EU airports.
The potential for large queues and delays on arrival has caused concern within the EU – but EES has particular issues for the Channel crossing, where passengers travelling via the tunnel or sea pass through French border checks in the UK. That means the EES biometric process must be completed before departure, with any hold-ups on the British side occurring before passengers can reach their train or ferry.
The affected operators all welcomed the change from what Eurotunnel described as a “big bang” model to a phased introduction.
Eurotunnel, which operates the Le Shuttle service for motor vehicles using the tunnel, has invested €80m in EES infrastructure on either side of the Channel, including 224 kiosks in new covered shelters at Folkestone and Calais. Cars will be assigned by numberplate cameras to park by a designated kiosk, and drivers and passengers will have to leave their cars to have their photos taken and fingerprints scanned.
Submitting the information is expected to take around two minutes per person. Eurotunnel claimed that the process would have “minimal impact” on the overall average journey of 90 minutes from England’s M20 motorway to the French A16 autoroute.
Yann Leriche, chief executive of Eurotunnel owner Getlink, said the speed of the crossing was the Shuttle’s “competitive advantage” and justified the huge investment, saying: “We can’t afford to get it wrong.”
Eurostar and London St Pancras High Speed have spent an estimated £10m on kiosks at the international railway station, including a £3.5m DfT subsidy. Simon Lejeune, chief stations officer, said that customers could complete the EES registration in around 10 minutes. Despite the additional red tape, Eurostar will continue to advise passengers to arrive at the station 75 minutes prior to their train’s departure.
The Port of Dover has installed almost 100 EES kiosks a mile west of the main ferry port entrance, on land reclaimed from the sea last year at a cost of £45m. It means most vehicles will now have to pass via Dover’s western docks to complete the EES formalities before driving on to enter the eastern docks for cross-Channel ferries. The port also spent £17m on a canopy on the eastern docks last year for EES, whose use is now uncertain.
Despite previous fears of widespread congestion, a Port of Dover spokesperson said: “We’re confident [delays won’t be an issue], because of this area we’ve created off-site. Putting these measures in place will ease the impact on traffic approaching the eastern docks. What is helpful is the phased rollout: tourist traffic goes live after half-term, which is extremely helpful. Passengers will understand the process ahead of Christmas and we’ll be in full swing by Easter.”
Both Eurotunnel and Dover will start with coach passengers and freight on 12 October, with cars first checked from November in Dover. Eurostar will only “invite” passengers to use the kiosks for the first few months, starting with business and regular travellers.
Despite the imminent launch, the potential for confusion remains evident. Travellers are posed different questions at the Eurotunnel and Eurostar EES kiosks. In the current iteration of kiosks at St Pancras, passengers must answer if they have accommodation, a return ticket, adequate funds and medical or travel insurance – questions which are not asked by the machines at Folkestone.
