'Nobody Wants to See Excessive Queues': How the UK Is Preparing for the EES Launch

Non-EU travellers are bracing for the launch of the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) on 10 November. Every port, airport and land border crossing into the bloc has had to install new technology to register travellers, and millions of euros have been invested in scanners, kiosks and processing areas across the continent.

The new system replaces manual passport stamping with a digital record. The first time non-EU visitors cross an external border, they will have their fingerprints and a photograph taken, and authorities have warned that the extra checks could trigger delays and queues, especially in the early weeks.

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How the UK is preparing

For most journeys, EES checks happen on arrival in the EU country you are visiting. But the UK is a special case: international train, car and ferry checks take place before departure, on British soil, because of the juxtaposed border arrangements at Dover, Folkestone and London St Pancras.

To get ready, the UK government announced £10.5 million (€12.5 million) in funding for the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and Eurostar at St Pancras. The money pays for a dedicated processing site at Dover and extra self-service kiosks at Eurotunnel and Eurostar, where UK travellers will register their fingerprints and photographs before they leave, along with testing, recruitment and staff training.

"Nobody wants to see excessive queues at our ports, which is why despite EES being an EU initiative, we are doing everything we can to support a smooth rollout," said UK Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood. The government says Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar are now on track for a smooth transition. If you are travelling the other way, our United Kingdom entry requirements guide explains what visitors to Britain need to know.

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Are the ports and EU ready?

Operators on the UK side sound confident. Eurostar's Simon Lejeune said the company would be "fully prepared and compliant by November," while Getlink chief executive Yann Leriche, whose company runs Eurotunnel, pointed to two years of preparation and £70 million (€83 million) invested so that passengers can travel "just as easily as they do today."

Readiness across the EU has been less even. Until July, Malta was expected to fall back on a manual process after a late start, although the European Commission insists every member state will be ready. "At every single airport, every single harbour and every single road into Europe, we will have digital border controls — all connected, all switched on at the very same time," Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on 16 August.

Lingering concerns about queues

Not everyone is convinced. UK travel agents remain dubious, and the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) has warned of "long queues, chaos and confusion" caused by low traveller awareness and uneven airport readiness. The association wants an extended transition period, with checks relaxed whenever waits grow too long.

The Commission counters that all travellers will be recorded from day one and that member states have the tools they need, with a voluntary mobile pre-registration app available in some countries. There is also concern about the timing: EES arrives just as the UK phases in its own Electronic Travel Authorisation, and ahead of ETIAS, the EU's roughly €7 travel authorisation expected in the first half of 2025. For travellers crossing the Channel, the months ahead will be the real test of all that preparation.