The full implementation of the European Union's Entry & Exit System (EES) at major UK-France border crossings has been postponed until after the peak summer travel period. While the biometric system, which replaces manual passport stamping with digital records of fingerprints and facial images for third-country nationals, officially began a phased introduction on October 12th, 2025, and moved toward full-scale implementation in April 2026, the reality at the border remains fragmented.
Three months after the April deadline, several key crossing points are still only checking a small percentage of passengers.
The UK-France border is uniquely affected by juxtaposed border controls established under the 2003 Le Touquet treaty. This arrangement requires travellers to undergo checks by both French and British authorities before departing from locations like London St Pancras, Folkestone’s Eurotunnel terminal, and the Port of Dover, meaning no further checks are required upon arrival in France. The same applies to those departing from Paris Gare du Nord, Coquelles, or Calais.
Eurostar has confirmed that full implementation will not occur until after the peak summer travel period. Although self-check-in kiosks were installed in a special area at St Pancras, they are not currently in use. A Eurostar spokesperson told The Local that EES checks at the station are currently being completed manually by border officers.
The company is working closely with border authorities and intends to introduce kiosk-based processing once the operational software and the activation timetable are confirmed and approved by the French Ministry of Interior.
Eurotunnel, which operates the Le Shuttle cross-Channel train service between Folkestone and Calais, began EES checks in October, but only for coach passengers and lorry drivers. A spokesperson stated that the initial stage has run smoothly with positive feedback and strong operational performance, but the next phase depends on receiving the green light from French authorities.
On July 15th, Eurotunnel confirmed that there will be no EES biometric capture at its terminals in Folkestone and Coquelles this summer.
LeShuttle customers will continue to travel as normal throughout the peak season, with no change to the process through its terminals. Full implementation is expected to happen once the peak summer travel period has passed, likely in September or afterwards.
Similarly, the Dover-Calais ports are currently using full EES checks only for coach passengers and freight, and are awaiting the green light from French authorities for full implementation. They have confirmed that this will not take place until after the peak summer period. Even without full implementation, the Port of Dover has struggled to cope at peak times, reporting queues of six hours in May when UK schools broke up for the summer holidays.
With British schools mostly ending the summer term on Friday, July 17th, the following weekend is expected to be very busy. The Port advises travellers not to arrive more than two hours before the expected ferry departure time and to use the main roads to Dover, the A20 and the A2, to avoid clogging local roads in Kent.
Those travelling between the UK and France by air can expect full EES checks. While French airports have largely avoided the chaos seen at some Italian and Spanish airports, there are concerns about how they will cope during the peak summer season. Readers of The Local reported that since April, the process at French airports has mostly worked, though some long queues have occurred, especially at smaller regional airports.
Despite calls for a delay from travel industry bodies and some airlines, the EU says it is pushing ahead with the full rollout of EES this summer. Ports and airports retain the flexibility to suspend checks if long queues build, but there has been no systematic suspension of EES ahead of the summer peak.
ABTA, the association representing the UK travel industry, has called for greater use of contingency measures by EU border officials. ABTA CEO Mark Tanzer noted that the passenger experience so far has been varied, and as more places introduce the system, there is a greater risk that people will face queues and delays. He urged border authorities to do all they can to minimize delays, including standing down the system or limiting checks to help manage the flow of people.
Finally, the EU has announced that the ETIAS visa waiver system, due to be implemented late in 2026, will be delayed until EES is fully up and running and all teething troubles have been ironed out.
Under the EES, travellers from non-EU countries, including the UK, have to register fingerprints and facial images the first time they cross an external Schengen border to enter any of the 29 Schengen countries (25 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein). Non-EU citizens with residency in an EU country are exempt and instead show their residence permit and passport at the border.
The company initially said that this would be expanded to all passengers from January 12th 2006, but that deadline has been repeatedly pushed back, due to delays in the readiness of the technology required.
