Passengers travelling between Britain and France over the busy Easter weekend can breathe a little easier. Ports and operators confirmed on Saturday that the European Union’s long-awaited Entry/Exit System (EES) will **not** begin full biometric enrolment for Channel Tunnel and Eurostar services next week, despite an official deadline of 10 April. The Guardian reports that the French border police (PAF) will create EES files from that date but will not take fingerprints or facial images at Folkestone, Coquelles or London St Pancras until further notice. The last-minute reprieve follows months of warnings from airlines, airports and rail operators that the 45-second kiosk process trialled at airports would be unworkable at juxtaposed controls where train travellers typically have less than 90 seconds to clear both UK exit and Schengen entry formalities. Eurostar has spent around £10 million on automated kiosks at St Pancras International, while tunnel operator Getlink has invested more than £60 million in facilities at Folkestone and Calais. None of the new equipment is yet live.
![EU postpones biometric checks for Eurostar and Eurotunnel passengers as EES deadline looms]()
Travellers unsure whether their passports or visas will meet the eventual EES and ETIAS requirements can get clarity from VisaHQ. The agency’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) tracks these evolving regulations in real time and provides step-by-step assistance with validity checks and application submissions, helping passengers stay compliant and avoid last-minute surprises.
For business travellers, the delay avoids the immediate risk of missing meetings in Paris or Brussels because of longer check-in times. Corporate travel managers had begun advising staff to arrive at stations at least two hours before departure; those instructions are now being relaxed, although operators still recommend arriving when the ticket advises. Mobility teams should nonetheless prepare staff for an eventual “switch-on” of biometrics later in the year and ensure passports have at least six months’ validity—the first data point EES will reject if out of range. Border experts say the reprieve buys time for further system testing and for the EU and UK to agree a pragmatic process for large school groups and elderly passengers who may struggle with self-service kiosks. The Commission remains adamant that the EES will become fully operational this year, with industry sources now tipping a phased rollout after the summer peak. Companies with frequent cross-Channel commuters should monitor official EU communication and build contingency time into travel schedules once a new go-live date is announced. In the longer term, EES and the follow-on ETIAS authorisation (due late-2026) will fundamentally change how British nationals enter Europe, restoring passport-stamp certainty and making overstay calculations automatic. Saturday’s delay does not alter that strategic direction—it merely postpones the disruption. Mobility teams would be wise to complete staff training on the new systems now, rather than wait for the next deadline.
Travellers unsure whether their passports or visas will meet the eventual EES and ETIAS requirements can get clarity from VisaHQ. The agency’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) tracks these evolving regulations in real time and provides step-by-step assistance with validity checks and application submissions, helping passengers stay compliant and avoid last-minute surprises.
For business travellers, the delay avoids the immediate risk of missing meetings in Paris or Brussels because of longer check-in times. Corporate travel managers had begun advising staff to arrive at stations at least two hours before departure; those instructions are now being relaxed, although operators still recommend arriving when the ticket advises. Mobility teams should nonetheless prepare staff for an eventual “switch-on” of biometrics later in the year and ensure passports have at least six months’ validity—the first data point EES will reject if out of range. Border experts say the reprieve buys time for further system testing and for the EU and UK to agree a pragmatic process for large school groups and elderly passengers who may struggle with self-service kiosks. The Commission remains adamant that the EES will become fully operational this year, with industry sources now tipping a phased rollout after the summer peak. Companies with frequent cross-Channel commuters should monitor official EU communication and build contingency time into travel schedules once a new go-live date is announced. In the longer term, EES and the follow-on ETIAS authorisation (due late-2026) will fundamentally change how British nationals enter Europe, restoring passport-stamp certainty and making overstay calculations automatic. Saturday’s delay does not alter that strategic direction—it merely postpones the disruption. Mobility teams would be wise to complete staff training on the new systems now, rather than wait for the next deadline.
