Eurotunnel to trial drive-through biometric checks at Folkestone and Calais

Getlink plans to trial drive-through passport and biometric checks at Eurotunnel, after gaining European Commission approval to use monitored cameras at kiosks. The system aims to avoid queues and confusion as new EU border checks are introduced, while letting travellers remain in their cars.

The two-year trial would use 120 kiosks at each of Folkestone and Calais, with two stands per vehicle for passports, fingerprints and facial images. The EU’s Entry/Exit System requires British and other non-EU citizens to provide biometrics when entering or leaving the Schengen area, but implementation has been delayed; nine EU countries, including France, have not yet fully deployed it. Getlink hopes the trial will become permanent.