Border control zone to be expanded ahead of new EU rules

The French border control zone at the Port of Dover is to be expanded to reduce the risk of queues at peak times when new EU rules come into force in November, the government says.

Under the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), travellers entering from the UK and other non-EU countries will have to register their details at the EU border and provide biometric data.

Home Office minister Seema Malhotra will lay a Statutory Instrument in Parliament on Monday to allow French border officials to operate in an expanded zone at the Port of Dover.

It will commit the Home Office to working with the French government, local authorities and businesses to streamline EU border checks at the port.

The law change is part of the preparations to minimise the risk of traffic disruption and to create more space to process passengers.

The port plans to change the location of passport control for passengers arriving to board ferries from Dover’s Eastern Docks to a new border control zone at its Western Docks.

The port has also been making major upgrades to its port infrastructure, including building bespoke facilities to carry out the checks.

It will have 24 kiosks for coach passengers to complete the checks, and will register passengers in cars using agents and tablets.

Ms Malhotra says the checks will be a “major change” to the EU border so the public should prepare for some queues during peak times when they are first introduced.

She said Home Office ministers were working to minimise the risk of excessive queue times as much as possible.