In its first full week of expanded operations, the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) has been switched on at roughly half of France’s external border posts, including the juxtaposed French controls in Dover, Folkestone and London St Pancras. Border-police union SNCP-PAF told reporters that almost 200 self-service kiosks are now live and that a single first-time enrolment (passport scan, fingerprints and facial image) can take up to two minutes—around six times longer than the manual stamp it replaces. (visahq.com)
Travel-trade body ABTA warned tour operators on 12 January that the extra processing time could create “airport-style” holiday queues at ferry ports during February’s ski-season peak. The Port of Dover estimates that, at full capacity, every additional minute per passenger adds 380 vehicle-minutes to the departure lanes, quickly clogging the A-20 approach road. Coach companies have already begun adjusting timetables and asking school groups to pre-register passport details. (visahq.com)
For business-travellers the immediate pain point is predictability. Multinationals that routinely send staff between Paris and London are advising employees to allow at least 45 extra minutes at Dover and St Pancras, and to carry printed meeting invitations in case of spot questions by border agents. Mobility managers should also factor in knock-on effects for connecting SNCF and Eurostar services out of the capital: a missed Eurostar often cascades into missed TGV or domestic flight connections.
![Biometric EES roll-out triggers queue warnings at French border crossings]()
VisaHQ’s corporate mobility platform can help companies stay ahead of these changes. Through its dedicated France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) employers can automate Schengen 90/180-day calculations, receive real-time compliance alerts, and submit bulk visa or passport services—streamlining paperwork so staff can focus on travelling, not queueing.
Longer term, HR teams must update 90/180-day tracking tools. Once fully deployed on 10 April 2026, the EES will automatically calculate overstays, eliminating the margin of error that previously existed with barely legible passport stamps. Companies that rely on frequent short-stay assignments should audit travel patterns now to avoid inadvertent overstays that could trigger fines or future entry bans.
Although Paris airports are not yet experiencing the same congestion as the ferry ports, Aéroports de Paris (ADP) has redeployed staff to help non-EU passengers with the new kiosks and is testing a priority-lane scheme for corporate travellers. The Ministry of the Interior says it will decide in March whether to retain dual running (manual stamp plus EES) over the busy Easter period. (visahq.com)
Travel-trade body ABTA warned tour operators on 12 January that the extra processing time could create “airport-style” holiday queues at ferry ports during February’s ski-season peak. The Port of Dover estimates that, at full capacity, every additional minute per passenger adds 380 vehicle-minutes to the departure lanes, quickly clogging the A-20 approach road. Coach companies have already begun adjusting timetables and asking school groups to pre-register passport details. (visahq.com)
For business-travellers the immediate pain point is predictability. Multinationals that routinely send staff between Paris and London are advising employees to allow at least 45 extra minutes at Dover and St Pancras, and to carry printed meeting invitations in case of spot questions by border agents. Mobility managers should also factor in knock-on effects for connecting SNCF and Eurostar services out of the capital: a missed Eurostar often cascades into missed TGV or domestic flight connections.
VisaHQ’s corporate mobility platform can help companies stay ahead of these changes. Through its dedicated France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) employers can automate Schengen 90/180-day calculations, receive real-time compliance alerts, and submit bulk visa or passport services—streamlining paperwork so staff can focus on travelling, not queueing.
Longer term, HR teams must update 90/180-day tracking tools. Once fully deployed on 10 April 2026, the EES will automatically calculate overstays, eliminating the margin of error that previously existed with barely legible passport stamps. Companies that rely on frequent short-stay assignments should audit travel patterns now to avoid inadvertent overstays that could trigger fines or future entry bans.
Although Paris airports are not yet experiencing the same congestion as the ferry ports, Aéroports de Paris (ADP) has redeployed staff to help non-EU passengers with the new kiosks and is testing a priority-lane scheme for corporate travellers. The Ministry of the Interior says it will decide in March whether to retain dual running (manual stamp plus EES) over the busy Easter period. (visahq.com)
