Will tighter EES border checks cause long queues?

UPDATE 14:26, September 7, 2026: Port Boulogne Calais reports having been informed that "the tolerance period has been extended to the end of the year". This has, however, yet to be announced officially. 

The ability for French border points to temporarily stop collecting travellers' biometric data at busy times are has now officially ended – potentially leading to longer queues.

However, as of today it is still "business as usual" at the Port of Dover, we have been told, with the creation of EES files and entry and exit logs without the full taking of a fingerprint scan and facial image. Eurotunnel also reports that there is "currently no change for customers in terms of the process at our sites". 

French borders are known to have been making extensive use of EU rules which allowed border guards to halt the collection of facial images and fingerprint scans for the Entry/Exit System (EES) when queues built up.

It is these rules which in theory applied for the last time on Sunday September 6 (leaving only certain fallback rules as to what to do if EES systems break down).  

In theory the regulation said the stoppages should be for up to six hours at a time, with notification made to the EU authorities. In practice, some busy borders have so far operated this continually. Asked about this by The Connexion, an EU source said there was nothing stopping another six-hour period following from a previous six-hour period.

This has notably been the case for Eurostar passengers and for car travellers and some coach passengers at Dover and also at Eurotunnel’s Folkestone and Calais terminals.

These locations are all equipped with pre-registration kiosks for EES, the EU’s new digital border system for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area. The kiosks are meant to help travellers log their own data prior to arrival at the border point. 

However, they have been dogged by technical problems relating to the way in which a traveller’s data is transmitted from the kiosk into central databases.

They have thus not been in use at these sites and, for the most part, have not been in use where installed at larger airports either.

Are the border points ready?

A spokeswoman for Port Boulogne Calais, where tablet computers are intended to be used for pre-registration, said last week: “Indeed, the authorities have allowed a degree of flexibility regarding the taking of fingerprints and photographs.

“In principle, unless there is a delay, the new procedures are due to be strictly applied from September 6.”

She did not clarify, however, if their tablets are now working reliably.

The team at Eurostar last updated us on August 13, saying that “the kiosks are still undergoing testing and no fixed date has been provided by the French authorities”, and we have not received any update of a change on this.”

Similarly, Eurotunnel told us on the same date: “We continue testing with the authorities ahead of the future activation of biometric capture."

A spokesperson said on Monday September 7: "We are awaiting confirmation from the French authorities on the timing of this next phase. In close coordination with the French Border Police and government partners, we stand ready to implement full biometric checks as soon as formal clearance is granted. The rollout will be carefully managed to ensure operational readiness while maintaining a smooth and efficient passenger experience."

The Port of Dover has been operating manual file creation at the border at the eastern docks for car travellers, without biometrics. Coaches are directed to the western docks, where some passengers' biometrics are taken at the police desks. The kiosks are not yet operational.

At airports, taking of biometrics has so far been patchy though it is sometimes done directly at border guards' desks. Kiosks to speed the process up at larger sites have also not been widely avaialable. 

French airports organisation UAF told us on June 25 that “tests on the kiosks have intensified these last weeks, in particular in Paris, as well as at certain regional airports such as Nice and Lyon notably”.

Its legal and safety expert added at the time: “However, these flexibilities are, in theory, due to expire after September 6, which is why it is crucial for airports to have the kiosks up and running before that date. Unfortunately, at this stage, we have no guarantee that this will be the case.”

We were also updated by the French interior ministry on July 15, when a spokesperson said: “The government has undertaken significant technical work to enable the widespread roll-out of pre-registration systems (kiosks and tablets), with a view to minimising the impact of EES on border control times as much as possible.

“This work will continue throughout the summer, with the aim of achieving a satisfactory level of performance and stability by September 6.”

The spokesperson said France and seven other EU states and Switzerland were, however, asking the EU to extend the pemitted flexibilities.

We have received no information from EU sources as to the progress of these talks, though we were told that the European Commission was working closely with member states experiencing issues to help them to resolve these.

It is unclear whether there has in fact been any change in procedures today. 

We note that no specific sanctions are provided for in the EES regulations for failing to follow the timetable. Persistent failure to comply with EU law could ultimately lead the European Commission to launch infringement proceedings, a process that can take several years and can eventually result in referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union and potentially financial penalties.

Often, however, the EU prefers to resolve issues through preliminary exchange of documents and talks.

What are the fallback rules now?

In theory, it is intended that the EES should be fully operational with biometrics at all borders, for all passengers. Long queues are not a reason to skip EES registration or biometrics.

If the EES system has a technical failure, officials should record the information through backup electronic systems or store it locally and upload it later.

Only if all electronic options fail can officials record passport details manually, omit biometrics and stamp travellers' passports instead, entering the information into EES later.

Have you been through the borders since Monday September 7 and noticed any difference? We are interested to hear about how it went at feedback@connexionfrance.com