EU border checks for Eurostar travelers begin Oct. 12 with four-question test

Britons travelling on the Eurostar will face four questions about their trip under the EU’s new Entry/Exit System, with the checks set to begin October 12 at London St Pancras as part of the wider border-control upgrade. The system aims to verify travel arrangements before entry to the Schengen area and to bolster security along Europe’s external borders.

The four questions require travellers to confirm whether they have booked an overnight stay, a return ticket, medical or travel insurance, and enough money to cover their trip. Passengers who answer “no” will be unable to use the electronic gates and must speak with a French border-control officer, potentially causing delays. Those who answer “yes” can continue to use the electronic gates. The changes are expected to add about 10 minutes to Eurostar check-in times. The rollout will begin with business and premium-class passengers, with standard-class travellers starting to use the system on January 12. Passengers are advised to arrive at St Pancras 75 minutes before departure.

The new rules will also apply to travellers entering Europe from the Port of Dover and through the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone from next month, with biometric checks including fingerprints and photographs performed at the border instead of passport stamps to bolster security. The system expands the border-control footprint across essential cross-Channel routes.

At St Pancras, UK passport holders will pass through 49 kiosks equipped for face recognition, fingerprint and passport scans, a project valued at roughly £11 million. In Folkestone, authorities plan to process about 700 vehicles per hour with 224 kiosks at peak times, aiming to keep flows moving even as checks tighten. Eurotunnel boss Yann Leriche has said the changes should produce a minimal impact on waiting times, with an estimated two minutes extra per person at Folkestone and Calais.

Fingerprints will be captured for up to three years and will only need to be taken once, with children under 12 not undergoing fingerprinting.

Official guidance from GOV.UK on EES notes that travellers may need to create a digital record on their first visit to the Schengen area on arrival. You will need to submit fingerprints and have a photo taken at dedicated booths. You will not need to provide information before travelling to a Schengen area country. If you are flying to a Schengen country, checks will occur on arrival.

The changes reflect widening EU efforts to modernize border controls while limiting disruption for regular travellers. The rollout marks a significant shift in how Britons cross the Channel, as Europe’s border regime becomes more technologically integrated and biometric-based in an era of heightened security concerns across World borders.