Dover prepares as France declares readiness for new EU border checks
EU confirms that it is preparing an autumn start for its new border controls
Dover port chief executive Doug Bannister says big changes are coming
Kelvin Atkins / Shutterstock
The EU confirms that it is preparing to set a start date in October for the phased roll out of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) digital borders scheme.
It comes after it received confirmation from France, as well as Germany and the Netherlands, that it is ready to start. All other states said they were ready last year.
A regulation on the phased launch is now ready to be signed off, with the final rules having been agreed by EU authorities.
Dover port is making last-minute changes to arrangements for ferry passengers and has dropped the idea of tablet computers being handed into cars.
Chief executive Doug Bannister said it will be “business as usual” this summer but that passengers must gear up for “big change” in the autumn.
The port has invested in infrastructure to minimise extra waiting, he said.
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EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated in June: “I am very glad to announce we received the last readiness declarations allowing us to fix a date for start of operations in October.”
The exact date has yet to be set. Individual states will decide which border crossing areas are ready to start as soon as possible and which need more time.
This will include France for borders under its control on UK soil, including at Dover, St Pancras (Eurostar) and Folkestone (Eurotunnel). EES will register visitors from non-EU/ non-EEA/non-Swiss countries to the Schengen area.
It will store passport details, date of entry/exit from the Schengen area, a facial image and a scan of the fingers of the right hand.
Passengers will also be asked questions about the nature of their trip. To help speed up the process, the EU border agency Frontex has developed a mobile app called Travel to Europe.
Passengers who choose to use it can enter most of their information themselves. They can scan their chipped passport using their smartphone and take a selfie to submit required data.
Dover does not expect it to be ready for the start of phasing in, but Mr Bannister said he hoped it will come “swiftly” after that (editor's note: this is in doubt, in view of the latest announcements from Frontex).
What happens now?
A draft EU regulation outlining the ‘phased start rules’ for the EES has been agreed.
Final adoption was expected by July, and the regulation will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU’s official journal.
The commission will then confirm the start date. The system will operate fully six months after the launch. The phased roll-out will give flexibility to states.
If they wish to, they can operate fully at all borders from day one. If not, the rules mean that procedures will not have to be in place at all border points and for all passengers immediately (see above).
New system at Dover
At Dover, a new area has been created in the western docks area for coaches to park.
Passengers will get out to use one of 24 self-service kiosks to enter some of their data before they pass through a border.
The coach will then be ‘sealed’ and will proceed to the check-in area at the ferry terminal. It had been planned that tablets would be passed into cars approaching in the usual lanes, but it is feared this could cause long queues.
Instead, cars will also be directed to a new area of reclaimed land in the western docks near the coach building, where they will pull up.
Occupants will get out and go into a building to pre-register at kiosks and provide their biometrics. They will then drive to the eastern docks, where there will be final checks by border guards.
On subsequent exits, once people are in the system, they will go directly to the eastern docks.
Etias set to follow
Six months after EES is fully in place, Etias will follow.
It will be an online pre-approval application for entry into the Schengen area that, once obtained, will be valid for three years or until a person’s passport expires.
A related fee was set at €7 in 2018 but the European Commission is proposing to raise it due to inflation, costs related to modern ising the system, and also bearing in mind that fees charged for comparable schemes (eg. the UK’s ETA, which costs EU citizens €19 and lasts two years).
