Overview
- The EU’s Entry/Exit System, which has required non-EU travellers to register fingerprints and a photo since April 10, has lengthened border checks and produced multi‑hour queues at some airports and ports.
- Port of Dover bosses say the £40 million purpose‑built facility with 84 EES kiosks is complete but cannot open because France’s Police aux Frontières have not switched the kiosks on and no activation date has been set.
- Airports and ferry operators report repeated incidents of long lines and missed flights, and ACI Europe’s president warned this week that passenger processing is already failing at peak times.
- Industry leaders have urged formal flexibility to suspend EES when needed and proposed practical workarounds such as carrying out biometric enrolment on board ferries or diverting vehicles to alternative UK processing sites.
- The European Commission has authorised conditional suspensions until September and ETIAS, a separate pre‑travel authorisation due in late 2026, is adding pressure on travellers and prompting warnings about unofficial application sites.