The Port of Dover’s new £40 million EU passport control centre, designed to speed up car passenger checks for the summer holidays, is facing delays due to French border police not activating the crucial European Union computer kiosks. Port chief Doug Bannister confirmed that while the facility is ready, it will ‘most probably’ not open in time for the peak holiday season.
The border processing centre, constructed on reclaimed land at Dover’s Eastern Docks, is capable of handling 600 cars simultaneously. It includes 84 kiosks for fingerprint and photograph scans as part of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). However, the French Police aux Frontières have yet to switch on the system, and no activation date has been set.
This delay raises serious concerns about potential long queues during the busy school holidays. Last May, the port handled up to 8,000 cars daily, but this summer it expects between 11,000 and 13,000 cars each day, increasing the risk of border congestion.
Since April, non-EU citizens are required to enter biometric data into the EES before entering the Schengen zone. Currently, travellers at Dover complete partial profiles without biometrics because the kiosks remain unoperational. This has forced temporary suspensions of the system during busy periods due to severe queues.
The EES kiosks are also not operational at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, adding to the complications for cross-Channel travel. Port officials are collaborating closely with UK and French authorities to resolve technical issues caused by software glitches in the EES kiosk computers.
An EU spokesperson stated that the EES system is functioning well overall, but member states must ensure proper local implementation. Additionally, in October, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be introduced. This will require travellers to pay a £17.25 (20 euro) fee for a three-year Schengen area permit linked to the EES.
Originally published by UKNIP.
