UK travelers entering the European Union by car will be required to exit their vehicles for manual fingerprint and facial biometric collection once the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) goes live later this year – a process made more cumbersome due to delays in the system’s companion mobile app. The biometric checks are part of the EU’s long-planned border modernization, but recent updates confirm that key automation components will not be ready in time for the initial rollout.
Manual Biometric Capture Confirmed for Fall 2025 Rollout
EU authorities have confirmed that the Frontex-developed app, which was intended to streamline biometric registration by allowing travelers to pre-enroll or scan from within vehicles, will not be ready until at least November of this year. As a result, all non-EU travelers arriving by car – including UK citizens – will need to exit their vehicles during their first trip to provide fingerprints and a facial image at staffed border checkpoints.
The update clarifies one of the most operationally significant aspects of the upcoming EES implementation. While the biometric Entry/Exit System has long been scheduled to replace passport stamping with automated tracking, the lack of a functioning in-vehicle solution means that ports like Dover are now planning for in-person biometric intake at the booth.
Port of Dover CEO Doug Bannister told The Guardian that the initial traveler experience will involve a “big change” starting in the autumn. He added that while “business as usual” is expected during the summer travel season, fingerprinting and facial image capture will be phased in later in the year as the EES launches.
Infrastructure Expansion and Policy Shift
To accommodate the manual process, the Port of Dover is reclaiming 13 hectares of land to manage vehicle flows and staging areas for biometric processing. Border authorities are also planning “virtual border” installations further inland to reduce congestion at primary checkpoints.
Once enrolled, returning travelers will be matched using their biometric data and passport number, allowing their length of stay in the Schengen zone to be automatically tracked. However, until the pre-registration app becomes available, biometric capture will be handled entirely at the border, increasing processing times—especially at busy land crossings.
These developments represent the most detailed public confirmation to date of how EES will initially function for UK citizens. While the EU continues to aim for a digital-first system, the delayed rollout of core technologies means travelers will need to prepare for a more manual process—at least at first.
Sources: TTW, Independent, Standard
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June 2, 2025 – by Cass Kennedy
