Government pledges new support to prepare for EU border checks

The new government measures shall include the following:

• new £10.5 million funding to help prepare for new EU checks at the border in autumn
• money will support the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and Eurostar at St Pancras to help avoid queues

Ahead of upcoming changes at the border being implemented by the EU, the government has today (27 August 2024) announced £10.5 million to support preparations at the Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel.

This autumn, the EU will introduce the Entry/Exit System (EES) – a new digital border system. Travellers from the UK and other non-EU countries will have to register at the border by having their fingerprints and photograph taken.

In order to reduce the risk of queuing and disruption, the government is taking action with this funding to help ports to install the necessary EES technology and complete work to get their sites ready for the checks coming into force.

Each port will receive a £3.5 million funding boost.

At the Port of Dover, this funding will be used to expedite work on the Granville Dock Project, where the existing marina at the Western Docks will be infilled and used as a site for EES processing.

At Eurotunnel and Eurostar, this funding will be used to install kiosks, in addition to those already installed, undertake rigorous testing to reduce the risk of disruption, and support recruitment and training of staff to contribute to smoother EES implementation.

The 3 ports have been making significant progress in their EES planning and are now on track for a smooth transition ahead of implementation later this year.

Today’s announcement forms part of the new government’s plan to prepare for EES, after the Home Office enabled French border officials to operate within an expanded border control zone at the Port of Dover, allowing more space to process passengers.