UK and EU agree to ease border checks for holidaymakers
Key Points
- UK and EU agreed on 13 July 2026 to minimise EES border disruption
- £20 million in new funding for passport check booths at Dover
- £10.5 million already invested across Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar
- EES requires passport scans, photos and fingerprints for non-EU travellers
- Checks apply at Dover and Eurostar terminals on UK soil
The UK and EU have agreed to work together to minimise queues at the border under the Entry/Exit System (EES) this summer, as the government confirmed £20 million in new funding to speed up passport checks at the Port of Dover.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, on Monday (13 July) to discuss the impact of the EU’s enhanced security checks on British travellers heading abroad during the peak holiday period.
The two agreed to work together to ensure travel across the border is as seamless as possible through the summer and autumn.
The meeting follows the announcement of £20 million in government funding for Kent to increase the number of passport check booths at the Port of Dover.
The money will also expand capacity for processing vehicles, reducing wait times and easing congestion in future years. It comes on top of £10.5 million already invested across Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar to prevent disruption.
EES applies to all non-EU passengers entering and exiting Schengen countries and began rolling out in phases in October 2025. Since April, travellers should be registered at the border by scanning their passport and having their photo and fingerprints taken.
Most checks take place in EU member states, but passengers using the ferry through the Port of Dover or taking the train into the EU complete them on UK soil.
For holidaymakers, the practical concern is queuing time. Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar handle millions of passengers during the school holidays, and the biometric registration process takes longer than a standard passport check, particularly for first-time registrants.
The new booth capacity at Dover is intended to absorb that additional processing time during the busiest weeks of the year.
Alexander said everyone deserved the summer holidays they had planned and that the meeting showed both sides were pulling in the same direction.
She said she was reassured that the commissioner understood the concerns of holidaymakers and recognised the need to work together to make journeys as seamless as possible during the busiest travel period of the year.
