Travellers planning a road trip from the United Kingdom to France this month will have a temporary reprieve from the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES). On 4 November, the Port of Dover confirmed that roll-out of the biometric border procedure for tourist vehicles has been “paused at the request of the French authorities,” even though the port’s hardware and staffing are in place and freight trucks and coaches have already begun using the system.
The EES—live at selected Schengen external borders since 12 October—requires non-EU passengers to register facial images, fingerprints and passport data on first entry and replaces manual passport stamping. Dover’s next phase was due to extend the process to passengers in private cars on 1 November, raising fears of six-fold longer transaction times at the juxtaposed UK-French control booths. French border police, who operate the outbound control zone in Dover, asked for more time to fine-tune operational protocols and traveller communications before pressing the green button.
![Port of Dover postpones EES biometric checks for tourist cars bound for France]()
The French delay offers breathing space to ferry operators and tour organisers handling peak Christmas traffic. Companies such as DFDS and P&O Ferries had already drafted contingency plans, including staggered check-in windows and advance online pre-registration, to mitigate queues that could stretch back onto the A20 and M20. UK business-travel associations welcomed the pause, urging both governments to publish a clear activation timetable so that corporates can advise mobile staff.
Border-technology experts say the short-term deferral will also give France a chance to observe performance data from the freight lane pilots at Dover and Folkestone and to integrate the country’s new PARAFE e-gate software with EES before the full tourist launch. Full deployment across all Schengen external borders must still take place by 10 April 2026 under EU law, meaning the Franco-British corridor remains the system’s highest-profile test case.
For mobility managers, the message is to keep monitoring carrier alerts: business travellers in cars remain subject to standard passport checks for now, but they should expect the biometric regime to switch on with minimal notice once Paris gives the go-ahead.
The EES—live at selected Schengen external borders since 12 October—requires non-EU passengers to register facial images, fingerprints and passport data on first entry and replaces manual passport stamping. Dover’s next phase was due to extend the process to passengers in private cars on 1 November, raising fears of six-fold longer transaction times at the juxtaposed UK-French control booths. French border police, who operate the outbound control zone in Dover, asked for more time to fine-tune operational protocols and traveller communications before pressing the green button.
The French delay offers breathing space to ferry operators and tour organisers handling peak Christmas traffic. Companies such as DFDS and P&O Ferries had already drafted contingency plans, including staggered check-in windows and advance online pre-registration, to mitigate queues that could stretch back onto the A20 and M20. UK business-travel associations welcomed the pause, urging both governments to publish a clear activation timetable so that corporates can advise mobile staff.
Border-technology experts say the short-term deferral will also give France a chance to observe performance data from the freight lane pilots at Dover and Folkestone and to integrate the country’s new PARAFE e-gate software with EES before the full tourist launch. Full deployment across all Schengen external borders must still take place by 10 April 2026 under EU law, meaning the Franco-British corridor remains the system’s highest-profile test case.
For mobility managers, the message is to keep monitoring carrier alerts: business travellers in cars remain subject to standard passport checks for now, but they should expect the biometric regime to switch on with minimal notice once Paris gives the go-ahead.
