EU Fingerprint Border System Tested at Eurotunnel and Eurostar

With the Entry/Exit System set to begin a phased rollout from 12 October 2025, both Getlink — the operator of the Eurotunnel — and Eurostar had spent years and hundreds of millions of euros preparing the physical infrastructure needed to process travellers biometrically at the English Channel crossing points.

Photo by Kaysha on Unsplash

How Eurotunnel and Eurostar Are Preparing

At Coquelles near Calais, Getlink invested approximately EUR 80 million in new kiosk infrastructure. In Guardian tests conducted shortly before the launch, travellers spent around two minutes interacting with each screen. The kiosks are designed to process up to 2,000 vehicles per hour.

At London St Pancras, Eurostar installed 49 kiosks arranged in three separate zones. Passengers using these kiosks face four additional questions covering accommodation details, a return ticket, proof of sufficient funds, and travel insurance. The cafe operator Benugo was relocated to accommodate the new kiosk layout. Eurostar also extended the recommended arrival window to 60 to 90 minutes before departure to account for the additional processing steps.

The Phased Rollout Plan

Coaches and freight vehicles were among the first to go through EES checks at Dover and at Eurotunnel from 12 October. Private cars at those sites were scheduled to follow from November onward. At Eurostar, the introduction was planned as a gradual process aligned with the same overall six-month rollout period.

EU rules build in a 90-day emergency suspension option that border officials can invoke if queues reach a level that would cause unacceptable disruption. Several EU member states, including Sweden, deployed smartphone apps to allow advance registration, which can reduce the time spent at physical kiosks. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex made an app available to travellers whose passports are accepted at five or more participating countries from the outset.

Open Questions About Capacity and Delays

Despite the preparations, questions about capacity remained. The juxtaposed border arrangement — where French border police operate on UK soil at St Pancras, Dover, and the Eurotunnel — means travellers pass through biometric checks twice: once at the self-service kiosk and once supervised by an EU border officer. This dual-step process was a key concern for operators and airport and port industry association ACI Europe, which warned that average processing times could increase by up to 50 percent.

Children under 12 are required to provide a photo only and do not undergo fingerprinting. Border officials retain discretion to allow passengers through without biometric collection if queues become unmanageable. The system began its operational life with post-Brexit UK travellers being processed under the same category as nationals of countries spanning the rest of the world, as the UK holds no pre-registration agreement with the EU.