New EES processing site at Dover ‘unlikely’ to open for summer

A £40 million border checks site at Dover will “probably” not be open in time for the summer holidays.

The port’s chief executive said the Western Docks facility is ready but cannot open until French authorities switch on the kiosks, and there is currently no set date for that to happen.

The area has been designed to process car passengers under the new Entry/Exit system (EES) and is equipped with 84 kiosks to record fingerprints and photographs.

Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said: “We’ve invested £40 million in preparing for the new EU Entry/Exit System. 

“We’ve reclaimed land from the sea and installed 84 new dedicated kiosks in a purpose-built facility. 

“Our infrastructure at Dover is ready to go. However, the activation of the kiosks by the French authorities is outside our direct control and as we approach the summer there is no date yet for that to happen. 

“Our focus remains firmly on keeping traffic moving, working with both the UK and French authorities to ensure Dover continues to operate smoothly during the busy summer period.”

Once up and running, it will provide space for 600 cars at any one time, with vehicles moving through the site continuously.

Biometric data is not currently being gathered from car passengers at Dover but a digital profile must be created for each non-EU traveller.

Coach passengers have been registering their biometric data since October 2025.

Over the late May bank holiday weekend, the process was temporarily suspended as long queues began to form.

More: French authorities temporarily suspended Dover EES checks to relieve peak weekend congestion