New digital border checks for cross-Channel passengers are expected to be introduced this autumn.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is anticipated to begin in October, following an announcement by the European Union.

Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover authority, said: “We have invested heavily in creating a facility in our western dock to allow the registration process to take place out there before travellers reach the ferry terminal."

Because of extra time taken for the process, it has been feared there would be long traffic delays on the roads to the ferries at Dover’s Eastern Docks.

To prepare for this, more space has been made for vehicle checks by infilling Granville Dock last autumn.

The EES is being brought in to check and register Britons and other non-EU nationals travelling to the Schengen area in Europe, and so would directly affect drivers going from Dover to Calais on the ferries. It would also be for passengers using the Channel Tunnel.

The long-awaited system, using fingerprint technology and facial recognition, has already been delayed several times.

It was postponed in November last year after Germany, France and the Netherlands said their systems were not ready.

The reclaimed land at Granville Dock will provide space for cars to be registered, plus overspills of coaches during peak times. Coaches will otherwise be registered at a nearby former boatyard.

Dover has long been vulnerable to traffic clog-ups from the port, sometimes spilling into the town.

This can be caused by delays in border checks, stormy weather or strikes in France. It can also happen during holiday getaway peak times.

In January 2024 the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee was told that holidaymakers could face 14-hour delays with EES because of the time taken over the checks.