The Port of Dover has prepared for the launch of the new European Union /Exit System (EES), which will come into force on October 12, 2025. This change will modernize and protect travel across the European Union’s external borders, including Dover, the UK’s most active international ferry port.
The EES will be implemented in two phases at the Port of Dover. First, starting on Sunday the 12th, the port intends that all bus and foot passengers will need to go to the new bespoke bus facilities at the Western Docks for EES and border processing.
We recommend that all drivers of these vehicles arrive at the Western Docks no more than two hours before travel, as they did before the implementation of the EES.
As the EU has emphasized, this will be a very gradual and phased implementation, so, along with a 10% start, we also expect the EES implementation here to begin with passport data before the biometric element is introduced.
From November 2025 the system will be expanded to cover all remaining traffic.
The EES is an automated IT system that the European Union is implementing to register third-country nationals traveling to the Schengen area. It will replace the current passport stamping system with a modern digital process designed to enhance border security and efficiency.
When traveling from Dover to France, non-EU and third-country nationals, including UK passport holders, will need to complete EES registration and biometric checks with the French border authorities before boarding their ferry.
This involves passport verification, travel documents will be scanned and registered at the kiosks in the Western Docks facilities; and a biometric registration, for which all travelers will need to provide fingerprints and a facial image (children under 12 will only need to provide a photograph).
It will also serve for the automated creation of records, with each entry and exit, including the date and place of travel.
Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, stated that “the Port of Dover has made significant investments and infrastructure and has been working with our partners to make the transition to full EES operations as smooth as possible. Along with our counterparts who are also implementing the EES, there are still some outstanding technological challenges that we are addressing with the French provider and border authorities as we work jointly towards the start-up.”
“We foresee activation for cars in November, once the technology is installed and working as intended. The long-term benefits of the EES will be better border security and a more modern and efficient travel experience for millions of passengers each year,” Bannister said.
