Port of Dover chief warns stricter passport controls could cause long delays for travelers

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proposed a stricter new system of passport controls to enter Europe threatens to cause long delays to travelers unless potential problems are resolved in advance, a travel boss warned.

Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Doversaid there was a risk that the “biometric” eye and fingerprint checks overseen by French Border Police would slow the progress of UK and non-EU passengers and freight on ferries.

Trains and airports in the Eurotunnel face similar problems as they all have to use the European Entry and Exit System (EES), which has been delayed twice but is expected to be introduced from May next year.

Dover suffered 48 hours of chaos at the start of the school summer break in July, when too few French police turned up for duty, causing many hours of delay.

Speaking at a media briefing in central London on Wednesday, Mr Bannister said previous investigations by the Port of Dover – into the possible disruption of Brexit – found that adding two minutes to the border control of each vehicle at the drive-through cabs would result in a 17-mile line.

Both Dover and Folkestone’s Eurotunnel depot have “side by side” border controls – meaning the French border is in the UK and vice versa.

Mr Bannister, who asked whether the passport chaos in May could lead to queues of 17 miles, said: “It will have a rapid and significant adverse impact on trade and travel.”

He revealed that the port had not asked for an apology from French authorities for the lack of French border police to man the passport booths over the weekend of 22/23 July.

“It’s useless to poke the French,” he said. “As a nation, we don’t have to do that.”

Dover is the UK’s busiest seaport, with over two million cars and 11 million passengers using it every year. The three ferry companies – P&O, DFDS and Irish Ferries – take passengers and freight to Calais and Dunkerque.

The new passport system requires passengers to pre-register their details and then be checked in the presence of a French border guard.

Dover wants UK and EU authorities to allow pre-registration at home to avoid queues for boarding, and to design an IT system to enable fast authentication.

It is currently believed that every traveler must verify their details using an iPad placed in their vehicle. Dover believes that there should be exemptions for truck drivers and young children.

“The way the EES is designed will work well in an airport or train terminal or when individual passengers present themselves in a nice, orderly space, one at a time in a well lit concourse,” said Mr Bannister.

“No technology has been developed for a busy ferry terminal to handle passengers on dark, stormy nights.

“We have no doubt that a solution will be found. We hope the solution comes sooner [the new passport system] is introduced, rather than after.”