France and the United Kingdom have agreed to deploy additional personnel at border checkpoints after warnings that the new fingerprint and facial‑recognition procedures could trigger travel disruption.
Officials warn that disruption at Channel crossings could spike next weekend, marking the start of the summer getaway, with MPs cautioning that without fixes to the EU’s Entry‑Exit System—or a temporary suspension of checks—there may be “utter chaos and miles of tailbacks.”
Although the EU has dismissed requests to suspend the system, French officials have reportedly told UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander that additional staff will be sent to help clear queues.
On Sunday, Alexander unveiled a £20 million UK government package aimed at cutting delays. The Department for Transport explained that the funds will expand vehicle‑processing capacity, shorten wait times and alleviate congestion.
Alexander noted that her French counterpart, Philippe Tabarot, agreed that bolstering resources at border points is vital for smoother passenger travel throughout the summer.
French border police have said they will station additional officers on UK soil to strengthen passport‑check staffing at Dover, Folkestone and London St Pancras—the Eurostar departure point—according to the Sunday Times. The precise scale of France’s staffing pledge remains uncertain.
A Department for Transport spokesperson commented: “Heidi Alexander and her French counterpart agreed that increasing resources at border points is key to ensuring smoother journeys for passengers this summer.”
Alexander informed Tabarot that the biometric kiosks designed to capture fingerprints and facial scans are currently malfunctioning.
The Department for Transport noted that inspections could be performed on coaches and lorries by French border officers operating on UK soil. Instead, officials are forced to manually register car passengers without biometric data while awaiting the delivery of new kiosks and tablets.
Alexander said: “In addition to the over £20 million already allocated to expand passport‑check booths and limit disruption, I have conveyed holidaymakers’ worries directly to the EU transport commissioner to ensure they contribute to easing delays during the year’s busiest travel period.”
“I will do everything within my power to assist travelers on their journeys.”
The Port of Dover reported that EES checks at the outset of the May half‑term break caused delays of four and a half hours. It anticipates nearly a 50 percent increase in vehicle traffic through Dover this summer, with roughly 12,000 cars per day expected next weekend—more than three times the typical volume.
On Tuesday, the EU identified twenty “difficult spots,” believed to include Dover, stemming from the new checks. However, it rejected appeals from airports and airlines to suspend the Entry‑Exit System.
The system was created to remedy the border‑control shortcomings highlighted by the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris in 2015 and 2016. After multiple postponements, it commenced a phased rollout last October.
Since April, travelers from the UK entering or leaving Schengen states must register at the border by scanning their passport and providing a photo and fingerprint.