Preparations are underway at major Channel crossing points for a new automated European Union (EU) border IT system set to launch this October, despite concerns of potential delays for holidaymakers.
The Entry Exit System (EES) will require non-EU nationals, including Brits, to register biometric information on their first border crossing, prompting fears of long queues.
However, substantial investments are being made to mitigate these concerns, with tens of millions of pounds spent on equipment and processing areas at Dover’s ferry port, Eurostar’s London St Pancras terminus, and Eurotunnel’s Folkestone site.
In Dover, plans are in place to process coaches separately from cars, with the long-term goal of reclaiming a dock from the sea to create additional space. Eurostar is expanding into new areas of St Pancras station to accommodate new kiosks. For air travelers, biometric information will be collected upon landing at European airports.
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At Dover’s ferry port, Folkestone, and London St Pancras, dual border controls will see French border officers continue to check and stamp passports as people leave the UK, with the new EES process also taking place on British soil.
While passports will no longer need to be stamped, travelers will be required to provide fingerprints and a photo, and answer questions about their journey. This registration process, needing to be done in person, has raised concerns about bottlenecks.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron expressed his worries about potential delays, noting he was “really worried” about “long delays.” At busy times, queueing is already a challenge for space-constrained Dover.
The port’s chief executive, Doug Bannister, told the BBC that plans aim to “minimize dwell times, queues, and congestion on the road network and throughout the town.”
When EES is implemented, coaches will be directed to the Western docks, away from the main check-in areas, where new kiosks will register passengers. After processing, passengers will re-board their coaches, which will then proceed directly to the ferry terminal. A different process will be in place for cars and other vehicles, starting with arrival in the usual lanes and meeting agents equipped with tablets to collect details.
The expected time to go through border controls will increase from the current 45 to 90 seconds to a couple of minutes or more per person. By next summer, car processing is hoped to be relocated to the Western docks, contingent on creating more land by filling in an old dock.
Coach companies are concerned about the new system. James Church, commercial manager of Roselyn Coaches in Cornwall, highlighted that any extra delays at Dover would impact customer experience and increase costs due to drivers potentially hitting their hours limit. He noted that processing a full coach of 50 to 70 people takes a considerable time and expressed worries about the potential negative impact on continental coach crossings.
Implementing EES at London St Pancras will significantly change the experience for Eurostar passengers. The number of border control points will be doubled, but space constraints mean that 49 kiosks will be installed at other points around the station, displacing some existing facilities.
For example, a coffee shop near the main entrance will make way for the main kiosk area, and additional zones will include an overflow room on St Pancras’ mezzanine level.
Simon Lejeune, Eurostar’s chief stations and security officer, assured that these arrangements, along with additional staff to assist customers, would maintain the current check-in times of 45 to 90 minutes. Eurostar’s preparations are costing around £8.5 million.
Eurotunnel, which operates freight and vehicle shuttles through the Channel Tunnel, is investing around £70 million to build processing zones where people will queue in their cars to use automatic machines.
The company is also hiring 70 new passenger assistance staff on each side of the channel. Eurotunnel’s boss, Yann Leriche, recently stated that getting through border controls would take five to seven minutes longer, but the additional lanes and technology would prevent queues from spilling onto the roads.
An EU app to enable EES registration to start from home is being developed but will not be ready for the system’s launch. However, for a six-month transition period, the EU is expected to allow reduced checks if severe queues develop.
A UK government spokesperson said they were “working closely with the EU and member states to minimize any impact at our shared borders with Europe,” and collaborating with the Kent Resilience Forum, port authorities, ferry operators, and industry to develop contingency plans to mitigate the risk of delays.
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