# Tunnel timing



## leseduts (Jun 3, 2008)

How long do we need to give ourselves to get through the passport checks?


Last time we went back to UK we got through the ticket barrier and then it took us over an hour to reach the few yards to the border control. That was early morning in June, has it improved any?


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## BrianJP (Sep 17, 2010)

Given all the problems that exist it's a situation that obviously changes from day to day .You just have to factor all that in when you make a booking and it's not a bad idea to follow the twitter feed via the Euro tunnel website that give up to date information on your day of travel.


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

September a queue to passport of ten mins. 30 secs. at the window, this was at 10.50 am


tony


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

Depends why you want to know. Once you are checked in, you will always get on a train. If you're held at controls, and still go to the shops, you'll be put on the next available train at lane control. You may on occasions be forced straight onto the train at the roundabout, but that's rare. Just keep going right and don't look him in the eye. I used to come back 4/5 times a month and there is nearly always delays getting through customs/passports. It's not always the UK as well, the French border controls can have their moments. They seem to adjust staff levels to ensure there's always a delay. As a guide I'd say 20 to 40 minutes during the day. FWIW I've managed to get the train before the one I'd checked in for 90% of the time.


Malcolm


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## BrianJP (Sep 17, 2010)

Also as a frequent traveller I would add that delays at Folkstone are often because of problems in France and so far this year from France you will be lucky to get on an earlier than booked crossing and are likely to be delayed because of extra security measures being taken at Coquelles apart from invading illegal migrants.


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## Sprinta (Sep 15, 2010)

I came back yesterday morning allowing a good bit of time to get my dogs checked first. We got to the end of the line waiting to go through passport checks, all 3 vehicles, and ended up on a train an hour earlier than planned. It was very fast and easy. What surprised me was not being checked in any way at all about what we were maybe carrying on board


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## klyne (May 10, 2005)

Came through from France yesterday no hold ups because of security although our crossing was cancelled so had to wait all of 30 minutes for the next one!!! The worst bit was after check-in they insist you go all round the house to get to the holding area!!


David


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

We came through last week and the only difference in security measures was that the UK passport control asked if the van had been left unattended overnight and had I checked underneath? They didn't bother actually looking. Oh - and no-one bothered asking if the gas was turned off. Queues were about the same as usual, probably a ten minute or so delay because they didn't have enough booths open. In actual fact it should have been quicker as they had a lane reserved for caravans and motorhomes only - except that most of the car drivers obviously couldn't read so they made a dive for the reserved lane and lengthened the queue. I have to say I was disappointed when they allowed them through instead of sending them to the back of one of the other (longer) queues.

As it happens we were delayed half an hour due to a backlog following an earlier incident.

Just stop worrying about it and turn up 2hr before your scheduled departure time, chances are you'll get onto an earlier train. We were allocated an earlier train this time but because of the backlog still ended up half an hour late. Outbound we turned up 2 hr before departure as usual and caught a train one hour earlier than we had booked.

In the worst case at least you have the option of putting the kettle on and having a quiet snooze if you're delayed for any reason, it's the poor sods in a small car with two young kids in the back that I feel sorry for.


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

*I've just looked at the videos of us returning at around 9 am on a Friday morning in August this year and it took just seven minutes from arriving at the Toll booths at Coquelles to getting through both of the Customs areas.*

*And it took exactly 90 minutes, according to the times on the Videos, from arriving at the Eurotunnel Toll booths in France to driving onto the M20.*


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