UK holidaymakers will be fingerprinted each time they visit EU – with lengthy checks taking 6 minutes
BRITS heading to Europe by ferry this year will face lengthy checks as technology to record biometric data will not be ready in time for the launch of the new Entry Exit System.
An app that was due to help reduce processing times for car passengers travelling from the Port of Dover will not be ready in time for the new system when it is rolled out from November and will affect thousands of motorists driving from the UK to Europe.
Under the new system, Brits heading to Europe will be required to have their fingerprints and facial image scanned when they first enter the EU.
After an initial first collection of both fingerprints and facial scans, any subsequent trips to Europe should have seen passengers only have to provide one or the other.
But the new app technology to process passengers at Dover is not ready so drivers face having to have both biometric checks done every time they travel, adding up to six minutes to journey times.
The big change will be phased in from November and has seen "significant infrastructure" being built at Dover to support the thousands of people getting out of cars and coaches.
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When the system is fully operational, British travellers will no longer have to have their passports stamped as the EES will keep a digital record of how long passengers have spent in the EU countries.
The manual checks come as Dover waits for the launch of an app being developed by Frontex, the European border agency.
The app will eventually minimise queues and won't require passengers to get out of their vehicles.
Border control will be given a tablet which they will pass through cars to verify individuals' identity.
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But according to Doug Bannister, the chief executive of the Port of Dover, the app won't be ready "any time before November".
This means second, third, fourth time travellers still need to have a biometric captured at the border, he told .
This comes amid rumoured plans to allow UK holidaymakers to use passport e-gates across European airports.
The negotiations, which were part of the UK-EU summit last month, mean Brits could join other EU tourists in the shorter queues.
The Prime Minister said: "We will be and are pressing to get on with this straight away.
"Because for holiday makers wanting to get out this summer, they will want to know that they can do so easily, without delay and chaos."
EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds previously backed the potential rule change.
He told Sky News: "I would love to see you being able to go through the border more quickly in that way.
"That’s certainly something we’ve been pushing with the EU and I think that will be something that will be very helpful to British people.
"I think we can all agree that not being stuck in queues and having more time to spend, whether it’s on holiday or work trips, having more time to do what you want, would be a very sensible objective."
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Plans to allow Brits to use e-gates in Europe were put forward in 2023 by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak but never came into fruition.
Last summer, some Brits even missed their flights due to long passport queues in Spain while waiting to get them stamped.