Passengers on the Eurostar will be hit with questions before their departure, due to new EU rules. The European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES), being phased in from October, will include passengers having their photo and fingerprints taken when travelling to the EU.
Non-EU citizens will be checked at the Port of Dover, the Channel Tunnel, and Eurostar, while those flying will be registered when they land. Eurostar has spent £11 million overhauling its border facilities at London St Pancras station. It has built 49 kiosks a short walk from the check-in area, almost twice as many as French officials recommended. The St Pancras kiosks are programmed to ask about pre-booked accommodation, a return ticket, enough money for their stay, and medical insurance. Medical insurance will be required for entry to France, covering all medical and hospital expenses for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death. Should the traveller answer “no” to any of these questions, a Police aux Frontières officer will be alerted. A passenger who does not meet all the demands could be refused entry.
After travellers scan their fingerprints, that section will not be required on subsequent journeys for the next three years. Children under 12 will not have to provide fingerprints.
Eurotunnel will begin processing coaches and lorries with the EES on October 12, and then will start registering car passengers before the end of the year, aiming to have everyone using the new system by April next year.
Its version of the system, which costs roughly £70 million, aims to process 700 vehicles an hour, using 224 kiosks at peak times in the Folkestone terminal.
During Tuesday afternoon demonstrations at Folkestone, the majority of testers completed the kiosk process within two minutes. Here, tourists aren’t asked any questions.
Eurotunnel chief executive Yann Leriche said the new system will have “minimal impact” on customer experience. Despite concerns that the EES will cause long delays for UK travellers, he said they are “ready” to roll out the new checks.
“As you will see, EES will have a minimal impact, not exactly zero, but a minimal impact on the time to cross the Channel,” said Mr Leriche.
He also shared concerns that some of the other border operators expected to launch the EES on October 12 might not be in the same position. “Anyone who is not ready is not because it was impossible or a huge challenge,” Mr Leriche said.
Mr Leriche added that “they are just saying they didn’t do a good job” and that competitors perhaps thought that “by ignoring it, it would go away by itself”.
He said one of his main concerns was that other border posts would “cry so loud” about how bad the changes are that people may be persuaded not to go abroad.
