The UK government has pledged £10.5m in funding for French border crossing sites in the UK, in preparation for the incoming new obligatory border checks under the Entry/Exit System (EES).
The funding will be split between the Port of Dover, the Eurotunnel entrance at Folkestone, and the Eurostar station at St Pancras, each receiving £3.5 million.
Money will be used to “help ports… install the necessary EES technology and complete work to get their sites ready for the checks coming into force,” the UK government said in an announcement.
This includes the construction of new kiosks used to collect biometric data in St Pancras and Folkestone, as well as additional training for staff on how to use the technology.
Kiosks will also collect passport data and manual passport stamping will be phased out, though guards will still check stamps for the first six months after the launch of the EES.
At Dover, funding will go directly towards the Granville Dock Project, which will expand the port by filling in a marina and creating a distinct area for travellers requiring EES checks before boarding ferries.
Why will EES affect UK travellers more than others?
The new EES system will see all non-EU citizens - but not those who live in France or other EU countries and hold valid residency card/ long-stay visas - required to provide biometric data when entering the Schengen area and have their passport data logged in a database along with their entry and exit dates.
This includes Britons, Americans, Australians, Canadians, and New Zealanders.
There have been several delays to the project but the EU recently announced the scheme would now launch on November 10.
Read more: New EU border control checks to launch November 10 - official
In most cases, data collection will take place on arriving at a Schengen area airport or sea port, including for passengers leaving from UK airports and most sea ports.
However, at Dover, Folkestone, and St Pancras, agreements between UK and French border forces mean EU border checks take place before boarding, with these three needing to become EES-compliant to collect this data.
Other UK ports, such as Portsmouth, Poole, or Plymouth, are not concerned, as border checks will happen for passengers once they arrive in France.
Once the system comes into force, travellers will need to provide a facial image and fingerprints on their first entry into the bloc and their data will be entered into the system for three years. They do not need to give fingerprints again upon subsequent entries and exits during this period.
There have long been concerns that border queues could significantly increase at bottlenecks as the process to authorise a person for first entry lengthens processing times.
The risk is thought to be especially high during the first few months, when most travellers entering will be required to provide the data for the first time.
While some major airports, ports and stations will have equipment for travellers to pre-register most of their data before they arrive in front of a border official, fingerprint scans will still need to be supervised at the border desk, potentially further slowing the process.
Read more: Channel ferries: how will biometric passport controls work?
Ports assure they will be ready for launch
The funding from the UK government, which is topping up tens of millions of pounds already invested by the operating companies in preparing for the shift, will go towards alleviating some of these queues.
“While EES checks will be a significant change to the EU border, we are working hard with the European Commission, member states and ports to ensure we are well prepared, and minimise any disruption for Brits travelling into Europe,” said UK Migration and Citizenship Minister Seema Malhotra.
“This additional funding for ports will ensure they have the right technology and processes in place, so that EES registration can take place as smoothly as possible,” she added.
Eurostar said it would be “fully compliant” with EES rules by the November 10 launch date, and the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel also provided positive remarks about their preparedness for the new border rules.
Kiosks will collect biometric data including fingerprints, facial photos, and traveller’s responses to questions about their visit to the bloc.
Read more: Biometric border checks: what questions will be asked to enter France?
The system will eventually work in tandem with Etias (European Travel Information and Authorization System), a visa-waiver scheme similar to the US ETA program, which is scheduled to come into force around six months after EES launches.
There has been talk of a ‘soft launch’ of the new border rules, particularly for UK travellers, to ease initial queues.
This would see certain biometric data to not be handed over during peak travelling times.
Read more: UK wants EES ‘soft launch’ measures to be extended into summer 2025
