Juxtaposed controls
With the exception of the Eurotunnel Shuttle route, customs checks remain unaffected by juxtaposed immigration controls and continue to take place upon arrival after disembarkation.
Instead, Eurotunnel collects passengers' travel document information during the booking or check-in process, which it sends electronically to the UK Border Force.
[5] PARAFE self-service gates are available which eligible passengers (EU, EEA, Andorran, Monegasque, San Marinese and Swiss citizens holding biometric passports) can use instead of a staffed counter to clear French entry immigration checks at the Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal and French exit immigration checks at the Eurotunnel Calais Terminal.
[10] In November 2019, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, carried out an unannounced inspection of the UK's two short-term holding facilities (STHF) at the Eurotunnel Calais Terminal in France, both of which are managed by private contractor Mitie.
The Chief Inspector also raised concerns about the routine practice of detaining people in escort vehicles while awaiting the arrival of the French Border Police.
Initially, French Border Police officers checked passengers' travel documents while on board the train before arriving in or after departing from their station in France.
Starting from June 1998, the French Border Police set up control booths at Paris Gare du Nord, Lille-Europe and Calais-Fréthun stations.
[22] On 1 October 2004, an Administrative Arrangement was signed by Belgium, France and the UK to extend juxtaposed controls to Eurostar services between London and Brussels which make a stop in Lille.
PARAFE self-service gates are available at London St Pancras International station which eligible passengers (EU, EEA, UK, Andorran, Monegasque, San Marinese and Swiss citizens holding biometric passports) can use to clear French immigration checks (instead of using a staffed counter).
When departing from Paris Gare du Nord, eligible passengers (EU, EEA, UK, Andorran, Monegasque, San Marinese and Swiss citizens aged 18 or older and holding biometric passports) can use PARAFE self-service gates to clear immigration exit checks from the Schengen Area (instead of using a staffed counter).
[32] Accordingly, on 7 July 2020, the four countries signed the 'Special Arrangement between the Governments of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK concerning Security Matters relating to Trains using the Channel Fixed Link'.
[42] Until 30 January 2017, regular commuters holding a season ticket were exempt from this measure due to the high number of travellers on peak-hour services.
French Border Police officers have the power to carry firearms and to arrest and detain individuals in the immigration control zone in the Port of Dover.
Instead, since April 2015, the ferry operator collects passengers' travel document information during the booking or check-in process, which it sends electronically to the UK Border Force.
However, coaches carrying organised school groups (consisting of students aged 16 and under accompanied by teachers or other responsible adults) are exempt from having their travel document information collected and sent to the UK Border Force.
UK Border Force officers have the power to arrest and detain individuals in the immigration control zone in the ports of Calais and Dunkirk.
Their job is to detect people concealed inside vehicles attempting to enter the UK through visual inspections, sniffer dogs, or by equipment including heartbeat monitors, carbon dioxide detectors and scanners.
[56][57] At the UK-France Summit held at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 18 January 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the UK would provide an additional €50 million in financial support for 2018 for France to strengthen border security (including fencing, CCTV and detection technology) at the juxtaposed controls at the Port of Calais, as well as to establish accommodation facilities located outside the Calais and Dunkirk areas, such as Reception and Assessment Centres.
[61] In 2019, the French Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner, has stated that if the juxtaposed controls were removed, it would lead to increased waiting times for travellers to clear immigration and customs on arrival.
[62] In November 2019, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, carried out an unannounced inspection of the UK's short-term holding facility (STHF) at the Port of Calais, which is managed by private contractor Mitie.
The Chief Inspector raised concerns about the routine practice of detaining people in caged escort vehicles that were in 'appalling condition, with ripped out seats' for 'prolonged periods' while awaiting the arrival of the French Border Police.
Air carriers are required under UK and Schengen rules to perform checks before boarding that passengers possess travel documents to enter the destination country.
Instead, the air carrier takes passengers' travel document information during the check-in process, which is transmitted electronically to the UK Border Force.
As a consequence, after the result of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, there were increased calls in France to scrap the Treaty of Le Touquet and end juxtaposed controls, including from the then French Presidential candidates Alain Juppé and Emmanuel Macron, and from the Mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart.
However, such calls have since receded, as political leaders in France and the UK have sought to reinforce their commitment to bilateral border cooperation (for example, by entering into the Sandhurst Treaty).
