French border controls at Dover to be expanded ahead of new EU rules

July 29, 2024, 7:11 PM

The extension is intended to prevent queues from forming when the new rules come into effect.

The French government has confirmed that the border control zone at the port of Dover will be expanded to reduce queues when new EU rules come into force in November.

Travellers entering the EU from the UK and other non-EU countries will be required to register their details at the EU border and provide biometric information under the new Entry/Exit System (EES).

From November, Britons entering the EU for the first time will have their fingerprints and photos taken as part of the new scheme.

Currently, French border guards are only allowed to operate in the eastern ports of Dover. This change in the law will allow them to carry out our checks in the western ports, where passengers travel by coach.

This expansion should prevent huge queues from forming due to the new measures.

But Home Minister Seema Malhotra told the House of Commons today that border guards could take a “light touch” approach if excessive queues did form.

These ‘light’ measures, which will see border guards not take biometric data from Britons if large queues form, will be in place for the first six months after the EES comes into effect.

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“We believe that extending these deadlines to more than six months would improve the flow at the EU external border if queues form during peak periods in early 2025 due to the additional processing time required for EES,” said Ms Malhotra.

She also warned that “insufficient” progress has been made in ensuring these new measures do not cause delays for travellers.

“Insufficient progress has been made to ensure that these impacts (and other potential impacts) are minimised, making disruption likely when the programme is implemented,” she added.

“This is particularly true for journeys via London St Pancras, the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Port of Dover.”

“This is particularly true for journeys via London St Pancras, the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Port of Dover.”

The Port of Dover has made major improvements to its infrastructure in recent months, including the addition of bespoke kiosks to process EES checks.

A total of 24 bus passenger kiosks have reportedly been built, with officers using tablets to register passengers.

EES is expected to launch on November 17, 2024, but this date may be delayed.

Ms Malhotra warned that its introduction would be a “big change” and that Britons should therefore expect delays to the rollout.