Car, motorhome and caravan drivers to face major rule change this weekend

Car, caravan, motorhome and lorry drivers will have their journeys to Europe interrupted by new rules which launch this weekend. As of Sunday, tourists heading into the EU will need to register at the new Entry/Exit System (EES) barriers.

The booths take road users' photographs and fingerprint information in a bid to boost security. Replacing traditional passport stamps, the new system was expected to launch back in 2022 but has faced numerous delays. The new system will affect every road user heading to Europe from Sunday, regardless of their vehicle.

GOV.UK said: "From 12 October 2025, the European Union's (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) will begin. This is a new digital border system that will change requirements for British citizens travelling to the Schengen area.

"If you are travelling to a country in the Schengen area for a short stay using a UK passport, you will be required to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo, when you arrive. You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration.

"After it is fully implemented, EES registration will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU. "

Motorists who refuse to provide biometric data will simply be denied entry into the territory of the European countries using the EES in a major blow to holiday plans. At the Port of Dover, a line of dozens of new booths sits pristine waiting for the first travellers to arrive on Sunday morning.

Under the current system, each vehicle is processed and passed through security in around 60 seconds. However, experts claim the new format could take around six minutes per car with motorists having to get out of their cars and register at the kiosks.

The Port of Dover stressed that they will eventually have 84 kiosks in place, ensuring tourists won't have to sit in long queues to register. Doug Bannister, the port's chief executive officer, said "facilities are all in place" and there "won't be any delays".

He added: "We've designed this all with the intention that we won't have any queuing on the external road network close to the port."