Ferry to France Checklist

Crossing the Channel is easy, but the paperwork has changed: the EU now records every UK traveller in its new Entry/Exit System, and visitors to the UK need an ETA. Tick off this list, or print it and keep it in the car, and nothing at the port will surprise you.

Ferry checklist Dover-Calais

Documents and border

• A passport for everyone, children included. Every traveller needs their own, babies too.
• Passport dates checked. For France and the rest of the EU, a UK passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter, and still be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave. You can stay up to 90 days in any 180.
• Extra time for EES. The EU’s Entry/Exit System records every UK traveller at the French border control in the port of Dover, before you board. For cars the French police still enter your passport details by hand and take no fingerprints yet; coach and foot passengers may be asked for fingerprints and a photo. The kiosks for cars are not in use yet, so allow extra time at busy moments.
• ETIAS checked. The EU’s online travel authorisation for UK visitors is not required yet. The EU expects to launch it in the final months of 2026, so check the official ETIAS website shortly before you travel.
• Coming from the EU? UK ETA arranged. EU visitors to the UK need an Electronic Travel Authorisation: compulsory since 2 April 2025 and strictly checked since 25 February 2026. It costs £20, is valid for two years and you apply in the official UK ETA app. An EU identity card is no longer accepted.
• Booking reference to hand. On your phone or printed: you give it at check-in, together with the name of your operator.
• Driving licence and V5C in the car. Take your photocard licence and the V5C log book (or a VE103 for a hire or lease car), and check that your insurance covers you abroad.

The car

• UK identifier on the car. A number plate with the UK identifier and Union flag is enough for France; otherwise put a UK sticker on the back. The old GB sticker is no longer valid.
• Headlights adjusted. Fit headlamp beam deflectors ↗, or switch the beams to right-hand traffic in the car settings; more and more cars can.
• Warning triangle and reflective jackets. Both are compulsory in France; keep the jackets within reach inside the car. Our driving in France guide has the full kit list, speed limits and Crit’Air.
• Car alarm in transport mode. Your car crosses on a moving deck with nobody inside, and a motion sensor will go off mid-Channel. Your handbook shows how.
• Ready to drive on the right. The first roundabout after the ferry is where mistakes happen, and signs are in kilometres while your dashboard shows miles.
• Caravan or motorhome: gas sorted. On the ferry, gas bottles must be turned off. On Le Shuttle a bottle may weigh at most 47 kg (50 kg in total), a fixed tank may be at most 80% full, and vehicles running on LPG are not allowed. More on our caravan page.

Pets, money and phone

• Pet papers ready. From Great Britain a dog or cat needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an animal health certificate, issued by your vet no more than 10 days before you leave. Coming back, dogs need a tapeworm treatment 1 to 5 days before arrival. Where pets can stay on board differs per operator: see our operator comparison.
• Some euros in your pocket. Cards work almost everywhere in France, motorway tolls included, but small shops and markets may want cash.
• Roaming checked. Many UK mobile networks charge for using your phone in the EU again, so check your plan before you sail.

Departure day

• At check-in on time. It closes 60 minutes before departure for cars and 90 minutes for foot passengers. In the summer, Easter and Christmas holidays operators sometimes ask you to arrive two hours early.
• Sailing updates and weather checked. Look at the sailing updates and the webcams before you leave home, and follow your boat on the ferry tracker.
• Food and water in the car. On busy days the traffic can stand still before you even reach the port.
• Know how the port works. In Dover you pass check-in and then the French border control, so in Calais you simply drive off the boat. On the way back the British control is in the port of Calais.

Please note: the check-in times on this page are an indication to help you estimate how much time to allow for your journey. Always follow the official information from the operator you travel with or the company you booked with.

Still choosing your sailing? Compare the operators in our guide to the crossing, or check the current timetable for today’s departures.

Latest version: calais-dover.com/ferry-checklist/