New EU checks mean drivers must brace for two-hour queues at Port of Dover this summer

Drivers are being told to brace for two-hour-long queues at the port of Dover as the EU prepares to implement its revised border control system while France is hosting the Summer Olympics, causing an expected 30 per cent rise in ferry passengers.

Doug Bannister, the boss of the Port of Dover, explained that things will get “exceptionally busy” as the port plans to shut parts of the queueing area to install the infrastructure required for the EU’s new biometric “Entry-Exit System”, which will photograph the face and take fingerprint scans of passengers.

To cope with the expected influx of passengers, the port has said it plans to increase the number of processing lanes from seven to 11 and install additional facilities such as cat, dog and pet welfare. 

The Port of Dover expects the busiest periods to be from “6am to 1pm on Fridays through to Sundays, every weekend of the summer holidays”. The official advice is to “allow plenty of time”, however, Bannister warned drivers and holidaymakers to “not arrive any earlier than the 2 hours stated – just as if you were planning on flying from a UK airport.”

To enable drivers to plan ahead of time and avoid missing their ferry, the Port of Dover has teamed up with AI (artificial intelligence) experts, Entopy, to provide an hour-by-hour wait estimate to the nearest 15 minutes. 

The Newmarket firm says its software works with as much as 95 per cent accuracy”, although the port is telling passengers that “in the case of any issues with the sailing they are booked on, they will simply be placed on the next available sailing at no extra cost as sailings will be continuous throughout the day.” Drivers are also asked to not turn up without a booking.

This isn’t the first time that passengers have faced longer-than-normal waits at the popular port; last year, those wanting to take the ferry were subject to unprecedented queues, with some coach passengers having to wait as long as 15 hours.

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