UK's Port of Dover delays new EU border checks for tourist traffic

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's Port of Dover has paused the planned roll-out of the European Union's new biometric border checks to car passengers as it has not yet been given the go-ahead by French authorities, it said on Saturday.

Last month, the EU started to phase in its much-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) for all non-EU citizens, including British visitors - an automated system that requires travellers to register at the border by scanning their passport and having their fingerprints and photograph taken.

For British travellers using the Port of Dover, the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone or Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International, the process will take place at the border before they leave the UK.

At the Port of Dover, freight and coach traffic was subject to EES checks from October 12.

Checks for tourist traffic had been scheduled to start on Saturday but have been put on hold.

"Whilst Port of Dover’s facilities will be ready for 1st November, we are being guided by French authorities as to when we will activate," Doug Bannister, CEO of the port, said in a statement.

Last month, Bannister said he was confident the checks would not result in traffic congestion in the peak summer season but warned it would take six times longer to process each car.

(Reporting by James Davey. Editing by Mark Potter)