Coming EES

[Wheelnut]

Has anybody got any thoughts on the new EES coming into force I believe in November 2025 at the moment that seems to be the date.
Will it affect your decision to go abroad, personally I’m not keen on the idea is it safe will it get hacked the information is will hold will be devastating to those on it, once out there you can’t get it back. What do you think, it’s been put back so many times with problems

 

[Googlebot]

I can’t see it being a pain for the majority here.

It will be for us as we have to travel during peak times in the summer and with the best will in the world, they won’t have enough capacity at peak to reduce delays.

If it takes an extra hour, doesn’t really matter. If it takes 12 hours it will be a pain.

I think we “might” be okay as we are flying to Tenerife Christmas so should have been data harvested by summer 2026.

 

[Grianan]

If I’m going to be stuck for hours I’d rather be in a motorhome than a car.

 

[starquake]

If it takes an extra hour, doesn’t really matter. If it takes 12 hours it will be a pain.

I think we “might” be okay as we are flying to Tenerife Christmas so should have been data harvested by summer 2026.

I think thats the point, if it's anything like the yanks and their MPC app, which they would be foolish to not have done it's basically pain on first entry, but if you have been harvested previously it's mostly a seamless entry/exit with a scan of a passport photo on your phone even.

I can't see anyone in the EU accepting 12 hour queues at any border.

I also agree thouhgh, if we are stuck in a queue, I'll be sat in the motorhome watching telly with a brew whilst waiting -> far better than the people in cars.

 

[nicholsong]

As far as I am aware, it isn't about you or where you come from, it is that you are leaving a third country and as such, have to have your identity checked before they let you (back) in. While you will doubtless go through more quickly than I would, I haven't heard anything about EU-only lanes being mooted.

ETIAS was proposed to come after the implementation of EES, but with the delays to EES, bets are off.

So currently, I think that you will be queuing behind me and thousands of other non-EU persons, but why don't you email the Director General overseeing ETIAS and EES and ask her whether a lane for EU folk will be put in place? You're after Beate Gminder on Beate.Gminder@ec.europa.eu .

I understood that for Dover it is not a matter of whether the EU/Schengen rules allow it, but whether there is space for a dedicated lane for what might be a smaller number of vehicles, which is why I asked you about Dover.

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[Brains]

I understood that for Dover it is not a matter of whether the EU/Schengen rules allow it, but whether there is space for a dedicated lane for what might be a smaller number of vehicles, which is why I asked you about Dover.

The big issue with Dover is space.
There simply is not anywhere near enough room to expand the facilities to run EITAS as it should be run.

Simple bit of maths.
One check in booth can filter about 20 vehicles per hour, assuming all the occupants have EITAS registered passports.
3.6m vehicles pass through Dover per year.
That is an average of 10,000 per day, or about 450 per hour, IF the port ran 24x7x365.
Therefore you would need 22 checking booths, with 22 queues before the booths and 22 queues after the booths.
(Much like the Eurotunnel waiting zone)

Dover has room for two booths, they might manage to make it three or four.
There is no way they have room for even ten.

The real problem will be in the summer, when the number of vehicles more than doubles to over 1,000 per hour.
To deal with those sort of volumes they need well in excess of 40 check in points.
With the associated waiting queues and checked queues.

Even if they made Dover 4 times bigger there still is nothing like the space required.
The only solution it to check off site.
Sevington, near Ashford is the only place.
But then they will need to build some sort of protected roadway for the 20 miles between the check in site and the port.
Otherwise any old Tom, Dick and Harry can jump into a checked vehicle.

Same applies to inbound traffic.
Apparently the majority of lorries told to clear Severington are not even bothering to turn up there is nothing to stop them just delivering their loads in the midlands and heading home.

 

[Brains]

Bottom line is once EITAS is started, we will not be going anywhere near Dover.
Mid summer the queues will be measured in days, not hours.

 

[DDJC]

Bottom line is once EITAS is started, we will not be going anywhere near Dover.
Mid summer the queues will be measured in days, not hours.

I doubt that it will be as bad as that.
The EU has said that they envisage scenarios where they may have to reduce the check to a percentage check - a must if the software falls over, which on current form is likely. The French are very cognisant of their tourist industry and how much of a hammering it would take if the Brits couldn't come over. Covid nearly wiped them out. They won't want another problem.

Notwithstanding that, I never use Dover anyway. Tunnel or Portsmouth for us.

 

[Brains]

When did they move Harwich and Hull?

Harwich was still on the south side of the Orwell/Stour estuary opposite Felixstowe when were there last week?

Harwich and Hull are the two most logical crossing points.

Unless:
You are heading for Western France or Spain
AND you live in the South West England

If You:
Are heading for Eastern France, Italy, Germany etc
AND you live in England north of a line between Bristol and Brighton and anywhere in the midlands, Wales, Scotland or Ireland.

Then the best crossing in terms of fuel, miles, stress and usually cost is Harwich or Hull.

We live in SE London, Dover is out closest port.
We have not used it in decades.
Harwich is our chosen port for most of Europe, we use it a couple of times a year.
Plymouth or Southampton for Western France or Spain.