ETIAS & EES introduction

Amen to that, also a fine opportunity for a touch of schadenfreude. :wink:

It now looks like EES checks for UK residents entering EU will be introduced in stages, starting with coach passengers…rather than a ā€œBig Bangā€ on 12 October as originally planned…

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2025/09/05/ees-when-border-checks-will-begin-for-dover-eurostar-and-eurotunnel-travellers

ā€œPassenger vehicles will follow a few weeks later, with the exact start date to be confirmed shortly by the French authorities,ā€

Travelling on the 23rd hoping to have the details collected

I do like a good ā€œkicking the can down the roadā€ project… the EU has clearly been taking lessons from Boris Johnson. :slight_smile:

Maybe they’ll get around to checking me by the time I am ready to apply for my VLS-TS. :smiley:

Coach passengers from 12 Oct, All other passengers, notably those coming by car as well as those coming on motorbikes, or on foot with P&O, will be subject to it a few weeks later, from November 1.

Bloody typical, my car trip on 23rd :roll_eyes:

I’ll be coming over probably Oct 31st, so might well be delayed on the way back which will be Nov 9th probably.

Arrived yesterday via Poole->Cherbourg Saturday morning sailing. Lots of reasons why that is not my favourite crossing - mainly due to timings, 4am start in the morning, short crossing so not much chance of kip, arrive too late to shop locally so wind up in the Cleunay Leclerc about 6PM when it tends to be packed.

However getting through border control was a breeze compared with Ouistreham which has been getting longer and longer each time - took an hour last crossing and I was nowhere near the back of the queue. GoK what Ouistreham is going to be like once they have to gather/check biometrics.

Cherbourg however - straight through, no delay and we were not he first off the boat (though the fact that it was a not busy Barfleur probably helped).

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The info was for Dover so not sure about other ports. Will call the ferry company tomorrow and see if I can amend my booking.

Cherbourg’s new layout has certainly helped IMO. We came through on 17th Aug from Ireland, and although the ferry from Dublin was full, we were through customs/passport control pretty swiftly.

A reminder in the Grauniad that the EES starts today -

ā€œAccording to recent research by the travel organisation Abta, almost half of all Britons and 39% of regular travellers remain unaware of the EES requirements.

It is believed that many British people outstaying the post-Brexit 90-day limit for visits within a 180-day period have avoided detection so far. An Abta spokesperson said: ā€œIt should eventually make travel easier. But those breaching the 90-day rule will be automatically detected.ā€

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So in essence all previous passport stamping was pointless. Those queues a waste of time. Or are they just saying that to justify the spend on the next new thing?

39% is somewhat an improvement on the 52% of dumb sods who didn’t understand Brexit.

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Presumably this applies to long term French residents who are still British citizens then, does it?

Don’t think so, it’s us 2nd home owners who love to use our properties. Those with long stay visas possibly but a residency permit, doesn’t apply

So they look at your passport and also CdS, and then wave you though, is that it?

Proffer your CdS first.

OK thanks, I can’t envisage having to do it but good to know nevertheless.

BTW, I love the word proffer, not used nearly often enough imo. :wink:

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It’s very close to ā€œprofiterolesā€, which are even nicer. :smiley:

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Yes, I recently returned to France and showed my CDS before my passport which the douanes were not that interested in, but the CDS was scrutinised and I was waved though both leaving and entering. At both Luton and Heathrow my UK passport was declined all the time in the automatic machines and duty people had to come and get it accepted. The US did facial, passport and questions to every passenger but at least they had up to date security machines where you did not even have to remove your jacket or put anything into trays, just all bags laid on the belt unopened and a machine that you walked into that scanned you from left to right with your hands over your head, so much faster.

I bought belts made with plastic buckles deemed airport ok, still the person wanted me to remove it and I politely refused saying it would not disturb the scanner, they became quite authoritarian as if their word was law. Again I resisted respectfully and moved over to the scanner and passed through without an issue, they shouted across at the other staff and the chap took a second to look at the belt. No problem and let through. I am thinking next time to wear much looser trousers and have them fall to my ankles and shuffle along.

Now back to this vastly expensive EES system, the training video on social media and including Simon Calders, just answer yes to somewhere to stay, sufficient money and return ticket, travel insurance and you are in. So what exactly is the point of this sophisticated setup that scanning your passport and stamping it didn’t achieve?

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I’m currently travelling in Canada, and the security controls in the large airports have what I can only describe as something akin to a jet engine through which the hand-baggage is passed (but fortunately neither shredded nor incinerated), along with the pass-thru body scanners. No need to remove shoes, or belts, or take out one’s computers from their bags, just shove it all through the machine.

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Yes exactly the same as my experience in US. Saves a lot of time not having to take off stuff especially shoes, empty gadgets out of bags and then wait in line for trays to go through.