Katy AustinTransport correspondent
BBC
People wait to go through departures at Eurostar’s London St Pancras terminus
The next time you travel from the UK to Europe, you might notice some changes.
The EU’s much-delayed new digital border system, the Entry/Exit System or EES, will be gradually introduced this autumn.
The system is meant to strengthen security and ultimately make travel smoother, but there are concerns it could lead to long queues when people first register.
What is EES and where is it being introduced?
EES is a digital system designed to keep track of when non-EU citizens enter and leave the Schengen Area.
This covers 29 European countries – mainly in the EU – which member citizens can travel across freely without border controls.
It includes many popular destinations for UK travellers, such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.
EES will eventually replace the current system which requires individual passports to be checked and stamped by a border officer.
When will EES start?
After being postponed several times, the European Commission confirmed in July that EES will begin on 12 October. It will be phased in gradually over six months.
At Dover, coach passengers will start using the new system on 12 October, followed by other tourist traffic on 1 November.
At Eurostar terminals, EES will be introduced more gradually.
Only a small number of business travellers will be invited to use the new system from 12 October. More passengers will be directed to use it over subsequent months.
Eurotunnel, which runs vehicle shuttles through the Channel Tunnel, is also expecting to introduce EES in stages from 12 October.
EES should be active at every Schengen border crossing point in all 29 participating countries by 10 April 2026.
What will passengers have to do under EES?
The first time they use the new system, people from most non-EU countries – including the UK – will have to register biometric information while having their passport scanned.
This may be done with a border officer, depending on where people travel to.
Flight passengers will register when they arrive at their destination airport.
But registration will be done as you leave the UK if you are crossing the English Channel by ferry from the port of Dover, taking the Eurotunnel shuttle to France, or getting the Eurostar train.
At these places, passengers will have to follow the instructions on kiosks – automated machines installed in dedicated areas.
The machines will scan each passport, then take fingerprints and a photo.
Children under 12 won’t have to provide fingerprints. Staff should be on hand to help.
The machine’s screen will also present travellers with four questions about their trip, such as confirming where they will be staying and that they have enough money.
However, at Eurotunnel, those questions will be asked by border officers instead, and only on a discretionary basis.
Eurostar has already installed 49 EES processing machines at London St Pancras
Eurostar has installed 49 EES kiosks in three areas around its London St Pancras terminal. Passengers will use them before presenting their ticket at the departures area.
But it says all passports will continue to be stamped manually until EES is fully rolled out in 2026.
Eurotunnel has installed more than a hundred kiosks at each side of the Channel.
Customers who are travelling in cars will be directed to drive up to a kiosk bearing their registration number, and provide their biometric information there. Coach passengers will go through the process with a border officer.
Eurotunnel has installed more than a hundred EES kiosks at each side of the English Channel
A mobile phone app has been developed to enable passengers to do part of the process before reaching the border. However, this won’t be widely used when EES is first introduced.
The EES registration will be valid for three years, with the details verified on each trip during that period.
What are the concerns about the introduction of EES?
Concerns have repeatedly been raised that the extra couple of minutes it takes for each traveller to complete the registration process could lead to big queues, particularly at space-constrained Dover.
However, bosses at cross-Channel travel hubs hope that the decision to introduce EES gradually, instead of with a “big bang” start, will reduce the risk of disruption.
The port of Dover previously planned to give ferry passengers tablet devices so they could register inside their vehicles, but will now use kiosks similar to those at Eurostar and Eurotunnel. The port has reclaimed some land from the sea to create more space for processing.
During the initial transition period, the port will be able to temporarily stand down EES if queues get too long, and revert to manual passport stamping.
Eurotunnel chief executive Yann Leriche says there will be no “chaos” or queues at the Channel tunnel, insisting his company has done extensive modelling and is fully prepared.
Similarly, Eurostar hopes its decision to limit EES initially to some business travellers before expanding its use will help to prevent queues.
What is ETIAS and when is that coming?
The EU is also introducing a new visa waiver system linked to passports called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will build on the EES.
Citizens of non-EU countries who don’t need a visa to enter the EU – including people from the UK – will be able to apply online for authorisation before they travel.
ETIAS isn’t due to start until the end of 2026, but the final date has not yet been confirmed.
It will cost €20 (£17.47) per application, and will be valid for three years.
People aged under 18 and over 70 will need to apply, but won’t have to pay.
