The long-anticipated expansion of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) to motorists using the Port of Dover will not take place this winter after French border officials asked the port to postpone implementation until early 2026.
Background: The digital EES began on 12 October 2025 for coach passengers, foot passengers and freight drivers. The scheme creates a biometric file (face + fingerprints) for every non-EU traveller entering or leaving the Schengen Area and automatically calculates their permitted length of stay. Dover, where juxtaposed French border controls operate, had originally announced 1 November 2025 as the go-live date for private cars – a change that would have required drivers and passengers to leave their vehicles, enrol biometrics at new self-service kiosks, then complete a manual passport check before boarding.
What has changed: Less than 48 hours before the switch-on, the port received word from France’s Police aux Frontières that the roll-out should be paused. Dover chief executive Doug Bannister confirmed the port is “technically ready” but will only activate the system after receiving at least two weeks’ formal notice from its French counterparts. In a follow-up statement on 7 November the port said it now expects tourist vehicle processing to begin “in early 2026,” suggesting a slip of at least three months.
![Launch of EU Entry/Exit System for cars at Dover delayed after French authorities request pause]()
Business impact: The delay is a relief for ferry operators and cross-Channel motorists facing one of the busiest festive travel periods in years. Industry simulations had shown that first-time EES registration could take up to six times longer than today’s passport stamp, raising fears of multi-hour tailbacks on Kent’s motorway approaches and inside the port’s check-in lanes. Operators can now maintain current traffic-management plans through Christmas and winter ski get-aways, while continuing to register coach groups in phased pilots.
Wider context: France is one of four Schengen states with large external land or juxtaposed borders (alongside Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium) that pressed for a more flexible, phased-in timetable when ministers approved the final EES deployment plan on 6 November. Under EU rules, member states may temporarily suspend full biometric capture if congestion risks public-order concerns; full enforcement must still be in place by 10 April 2026. Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly, Calais ferry port, the Eurostar terminal at Lille and the Montgenèvre road crossing to Italy are running limited live tests but are likewise holding back mass car processing until after the winter peak.
Practical tips: • Travellers using Dover should keep an eye on operator emails and allow extra time once the go-ahead is given. • British companies moving staff or goods across the Channel should update mobility policies to include EES registration and retain evidence of time spent in the Schengen Area. • HR teams with frequent business travellers should remind employees that, once enrolled, subsequent crossings will be faster – but overstaying the 90/180-day rule will be automatically flagged to French border police.
The postponed launch illustrates how closely French and UK authorities must coordinate to avoid disruption at the world’s busiest roll-on/roll-off ferry terminal, and it offers a useful breathing space for employers to brief staff before biometrics become compulsory.
Background: The digital EES began on 12 October 2025 for coach passengers, foot passengers and freight drivers. The scheme creates a biometric file (face + fingerprints) for every non-EU traveller entering or leaving the Schengen Area and automatically calculates their permitted length of stay. Dover, where juxtaposed French border controls operate, had originally announced 1 November 2025 as the go-live date for private cars – a change that would have required drivers and passengers to leave their vehicles, enrol biometrics at new self-service kiosks, then complete a manual passport check before boarding.
What has changed: Less than 48 hours before the switch-on, the port received word from France’s Police aux Frontières that the roll-out should be paused. Dover chief executive Doug Bannister confirmed the port is “technically ready” but will only activate the system after receiving at least two weeks’ formal notice from its French counterparts. In a follow-up statement on 7 November the port said it now expects tourist vehicle processing to begin “in early 2026,” suggesting a slip of at least three months.
Business impact: The delay is a relief for ferry operators and cross-Channel motorists facing one of the busiest festive travel periods in years. Industry simulations had shown that first-time EES registration could take up to six times longer than today’s passport stamp, raising fears of multi-hour tailbacks on Kent’s motorway approaches and inside the port’s check-in lanes. Operators can now maintain current traffic-management plans through Christmas and winter ski get-aways, while continuing to register coach groups in phased pilots.
Wider context: France is one of four Schengen states with large external land or juxtaposed borders (alongside Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium) that pressed for a more flexible, phased-in timetable when ministers approved the final EES deployment plan on 6 November. Under EU rules, member states may temporarily suspend full biometric capture if congestion risks public-order concerns; full enforcement must still be in place by 10 April 2026. Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly, Calais ferry port, the Eurostar terminal at Lille and the Montgenèvre road crossing to Italy are running limited live tests but are likewise holding back mass car processing until after the winter peak.
Practical tips: • Travellers using Dover should keep an eye on operator emails and allow extra time once the go-ahead is given. • British companies moving staff or goods across the Channel should update mobility policies to include EES registration and retain evidence of time spent in the Schengen Area. • HR teams with frequent business travellers should remind employees that, once enrolled, subsequent crossings will be faster – but overstaying the 90/180-day rule will be automatically flagged to French border police.
The postponed launch illustrates how closely French and UK authorities must coordinate to avoid disruption at the world’s busiest roll-on/roll-off ferry terminal, and it offers a useful breathing space for employers to brief staff before biometrics become compulsory.
