ITV News warns that motorists heading for France via Dover should expect “Brexit-like” delays this weekend as the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) records fingerprints and photos for every third-country traveller entering the Schengen Area. The RAC estimates more than 14 million UK road trips between 19–21 July, coinciding with the peak Irish holiday exodus that sees thousands of cars ferry from Dublin or Rosslare to Holyhead and then onward to Dover–Calais. EES kiosks were fully rolled out at French border posts in April but persistent technical glitches mean travellers often have to repeat biometric captures each time they cross. France will deploy additional officers on British soil, yet transport analytics firm INRIX still predicts hours-long tailbacks on the M25 and M20 corridors. Implications for Irish residents driving to the Continent: • Allow an extra three to four hours between Holyhead and Dover to make booked sailings. • Carry sufficient water and medication—temperatures in southeast England are forecast to reach 25 °C. • Have passports ready for manual inspection if kiosks fail. • Check ferry flexibility; most operators will honour tickets on later crossings subject to space. Coach operators running Ireland–Europe student tours are advising groups to use overnight sailings to avoid daytime congestion. Freight forwarders handling time-sensitive Irish exports likewise face schedule risk until the biometric bottlenecks ease.
Source: ITV News
