French border guards deployed to Dover to speed up new fingerprint checks

French border guards are being deployed to the Port of Dover to help ease queues caused by new fingerprint scanning of all travellers from the UK from November 2024.

The Interior Ministry is to introduce legislation that will allow French border guards to operate within an extended control zone at Dover, speeding up checks.

The new Entry and Exit System (EES) is expected to be introduced on 17 November. Travellers from the UK entering the EU via Dover for the first time will not only have to show their passport, but also provide their fingerprints and have a photo taken.

Although the process should take no longer than five minutes, there are serious concerns that passengers could be stuck for hours at peak times. Twenty-four bus check kiosks are being set up on the western docks, but a change in the law is needed to allow the armed French officers to operate in that area.

Immigration Minister Seema Malhotra will on Monday blame the previous Tory government for failing to adequately prepare for the change, warning that despite the new measures, holidaymakers and lorry drivers could still face travel chaos.