As schools in England and Wales break for the summer, the Port of Dover is gearing up for one of its busiest weekends of the year. This surge in travel coincides with the implementation of new European Union border protocols, raising concerns that travelers heading to the continent may face extended waiting times. Thousands of vehicles are anticipated to pass through the port, and French border officials are set to manually register non-EU travelers under the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), following delays in automated processing due to technical issues.
Despite the absence of biometric data collection such as fingerprints and photographs during this phase, the manual registration process is predicted to prolong processing times, potentially causing congestion at the port. This development comes as many families and holidaymakers set off on summer trips, with a significant number choosing domestic holidays this year. Factors influencing this trend include favorable weather, concerns about possible flight disruptions, and escalating travel costs.
Traffic congestion is anticipated not only at the Port of Dover but also on major roads throughout the UK. Motoring organizations have issued warnings about potential heavy traffic, particularly in and around London, as well as on routes leading to the southwest. These warnings underscore the likelihood of travel delays as millions embark on their summer vacations.
The Port of Dover has issued advice for passengers to follow designated routes and not to arrive more than two hours ahead of their scheduled ferry departures to minimize delays. Meanwhile, airport operators and airlines have also alerted travelers to prepare for possible delays as the peak holiday travel season gets into full swing.