People travelling across the Channel from Dover have been warned by police to expect delays of up to eight-and-a-half hours after checks were stepped up at the request of French authorities.
Hundreds of motorists were reportedly stranded overnight.
Severe backlogs have been reported on the A20 and the A2, while measures have been taken to split tourist, freight and local traffic.
As the summer holiday season begins in earnest, those stuck in the queues have been advised to stock up on food and water.
Kent Police said on Twitter that parts of the northbound A20 would be closed to allow water to be distributed.
Kent County Council tweeted that it was going to deliver more than 11,000 bottles of water as soon as possible.
In a statement, the Port of Dover said: "The French border control booths have been seriously understaffed overnight with only three booths available for tourists out of a potential seven.
"At one stage, only one French officer was available to check passengers on hundreds of coaches, resulting in each coach taking 40 minutes to process.
"The Port of Dover, which has no authority over French border operations, raised concerns over French manning levels with the UK Government earlier this week and the Government, in turn, raised the issue with its French counterparts."
People step out of their vehicles after getting stuck in the backlog
The port also said French checks had been temporarily relaxed to try to get vehicles flowing more freely.
As the morning went on, P&O Ferries tweeted: "Estimated waiting times to get to the port: A20, 300 minutes. A2, 180 minutes. Once you get to the Buffer Zone: 30 minutes."
People have been tweeting their frustration. Paul Gower wrote: "No end in sight. Super start to the holiday!"
Dover is not the only port experiencing delays.
Eurotunnel tweeted: "Travelling from Folkestone this morning?
"It is taking up to 90 minutes to check in due to reinforced security and Border checks."
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