Apparently going live on 12 Oct. Half term travel abroad will be fun…
Another brexit benefit...EU taking control of its borders... lol
I’m not sure why people can’t have their initial fingerprinting done away from the border (though maybe that’ll come). Queues are going to be huge initially, though I suppose they’ll go down once it’s bedded in and more people have been through the process?
I’m not sure why people can’t have their initial fingerprinting done away from the border (though maybe that’ll come). Queues are going to be huge initially, though I suppose they’ll go down once it’s bedded in and more people have been through the process?
I guess if it's a bit like a fingerprint scanner on a mobile phone it won't be too bad, or are they going to get the ink pad and and paper out?
You have to do something similar when you arrive in China and it's not too bad. They have lots of scanners and the staff are efficient.
Oh...
Hang on a mo ...
And the Chinese do a COVID test too. Or at least did when I passed through Shanghai in October 2023
I guess if it's a bit like a fingerprint scanner on a mobile phone it won't be too bad, or are they going to get the ink pad and and paper out?
AIUI the second time it won’t be too bad as it’s just looking for your fingerprint in the database (and each time you use it, it renews for 3 years IIRC).
The problem is the first time when you need to have a full set of fingerprints etc. done.
The US has done this for years - it’s not particularly slow. I flew into Edinburgh yesterday where the EU/UK/etc passport queue using the automatic gates (which all seemed to be working but not at maximum throughput) had a massive queue - right out onto the runway… but the “other” passport queue had about half its booths open with 5 staff mostly doing nothing - no queue!
I’m not sure why people can’t have their initial fingerprinting done away from the border
What if your fingerprints are already on UK file. Would that count, or do they also need done in the EU ?.
Asking for a friend.
The US has done this for years - it’s not particularly slow.
I’m not sure I’d hold up the US as a model of how to organise an immigration process. Even before the recent descent into madness it was a slow and unpleasant process, standing in an endless line while some jobsworth wanders up and down abusing people.
Good Q&A with Simon Calder in today's Indy. I mistakenly thought the kiosks parked up in the european airports I've recently been through are passport eGates, but they are kiosks to register your biometric information.
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eu-entry-exit-system-etias-ees-b2827672.html
OMG, I'd missed seeing all this. What an absolute palaver. And, as Simon Calder says: "A: 1. If you have the wisdom and fortune to have an Irish passport, use that at all times. It has a superpower no other document has: unfettered access to both the UK and the European Union, with no need to get an online permit in advance."
Interested to see how they implement this on the channel tunnel car crossing/ferry. Going to be brilliant, really looking forward to it.
I’m not sure I’d hold up the US as a model of how to organise an immigration process. Even before the recent descent into madness it was a slow and unpleasant process, standing in an endless line while some jobsworth wanders up and down abusing people.
FWIW (anecdata / example of one etc), I passed through US in 2022 and it was one of the smoothest and quickest journeys through an airport ever. Like, worryingly quick. Did the fingerprint thing, got called Sir a lot (what's the purpose of your visit to the US, Sir? / have a great onward journey, Sir) and went out into a long corridor to baggage reclaim with literally no-one else in it.
Just me, walking down this corridor. I thought the floor was going to open up and drop me into a shark tank.
But the fingerprinting was all digital, took a few seconds. Place your hand here Sir. Thank you Sir.
US system works fine. Detects you the second time without issues. Quick chat with the TSA and you’re in. No stamp needed.
Yeah, but on the other hand, living in Canada with a UK passport, every single time going to the States involved fingerprinting and a complete crapshoot.
- Small land border crossing into upstate NY: fun group, very nice, wanted to chat about the interesting visas in my passport (Turkmenistan for one).
- Main land border crossing at Niagara Falls: generally quite polite, but waiting an hour each time inside to be seen.
- Most flights into the US: no problem, just a queue to get to the desk
- One flight from EU to Toronto, changing planes in Newark: queue to get to the desk, guy looks through passport, stops at the ****stan visa page. Quizzes me, looks around to see if there's a spare immigration person to take me away; fortunately there isn't, sends me on my way, shouting at me as I go that he would turn me away if he had the choice.
edit to add: all of which to say, if it's a fully automated system (as it should be) then it should be fine, unless and until the backend goes down, which it invariably will in every airport at least once a year. But the idea that "the US does it so it'll be fine" is... not good.
I flew into Edinburgh yesterday where the EU/UK/etc passport queue using the automatic gates (which all seemed to be working but not at maximum throughput) had a massive queue - right out onto the runway… but the “other” passport queue had about half its booths open with 5 staff mostly doing nothing - no queue!
This is standard at EDI now. I have an Irish passport but it has never worked in scanners. The guy at EDI policing the queues refused to allow me to go straight to the desk. Instead, I had to queue for 20mins, get to the scanner, get refused then stroll over to the desk.
One of my colleagues discovered the hard way that the 'ID Card' you can get with an Irish passport didn't work in the e-gates in Spain...
I'd been led to believe that EES/ETIAS is only really going to be an issue on the first trip through the border, and once you're on the system, as long as you've been through within three years to keep it 'live' it won't be that bad?
Miss RBIT no. 1 going on a school trip to France via MS Mont St Michel the week after it comes in and I strongly suspect that school groups will get waved through in the six month implementation period. Irritatingly she's on the Irish FBR but has a UK passport...
One of my colleagues discovered the hard way that the 'ID Card' you can get with an Irish passport didn't work in the e-gates in Spain...
I've been on too many flights since getting my Irish passport earlier this year. It has never successfully scanned in any of the airports I've been through. No issues at the manned desks, but gated scanners don't like it.
Mine’s been fine, LHR, LTN, Lisbon and various others. I only ever use the passport card when going through a manned gate - it’s pretty much an emergency option to have and not really worth the €30.
I've never heard of this Irish ID card. Passport generally works in all the gates though - although I suppose I use it most often at Dublin airport, where you'de expect them to be calibrated for Irish passports...
an Irish passport, use that at all times. It has a superpower no other document has: unfettered access to both the UK and the European Union, with no need to get an online permit in advance
Does a German - or any other EU - passport have the same power?
We should probably just join Schengen to sort some of these things out - the Irish question for example.
No need to join the EU but maybe common standards, and zero tariffs or quotas, and reciprocal working rights would help too.
I’ve probably missed something.
We should probably just join Schengen to sort some of these things out - the Irish question for example.
No need to join the EU but maybe common standards, and zero tariffs or quotas, and reciprocal working rights would help too.
I’ve probably missed something.
Because then we will have Europeans cumin' over ere, and terking err jerbs! 🤣
I flew into Edinburgh yesterday where the EU/UK/etc passport queue using the automatic gates (which all seemed to be working but not at maximum throughput) had a massive queue - right out onto the runway… but the “other” passport queue had about half its booths open with 5 staff mostly doing nothing - no queue!
This is standard at EDI now. I have an Irish passport but it has never worked in scanners. The guy at EDI policing the queues refused to allow me to go straight to the desk. Instead, I had to queue for 20mins, get to the scanner, get refused then stroll over to the desk.
Indeed it is.
I had the experience of being told that my passport will always now be refused at the automatic gates there as I have a non-uk birth place. Apparently it is a new system for UKBF and I will always be questioned....but every time I am made to join the chaos of the auto queue before going back to a human.
And the Chinese do a COVID test too. Or at least did when I passed through Shanghai in October 2023
No the don’t. Travelling in 2023 is quite different to now and even back then it was random sampling.
Anyone been through it yet? I gather it’s being rolled out gradually between now and April; no. 1 spawn is going on a school trip to France via BF/Caen next week so not sure if she’ll be scanned or not…
It seems to be queue management at this early stage. If the queues get too long, you’ll get waved through. Which is why they’re keeping stamping passports until April when it’ll be the start of 100% checks.
Seems a logical way of doing it and queues will lessen as regular travellers will be already registered.
Just wish they’d give a list of places that are doing it so you’d know what to expect when you arrive.
There’s some info out there, supposedly BF sailings to Santander/Bilbao have a deferment until 12 Dec.
If I was starting on a phased rollout I’d probably not start with school groups, but who knows?
I'm sure it will be mostly fine... ... There will probably be ructions with the Ibiza /benidorm/ costa del dick crowd so maybe avoid the islands and Alicante and Malaga...but that's nothing new, hehe...
Supposedly part of the rationale for the soft roll-out is to make sure frequent (ie. business) travellers are done before it goes live.
Will be interesting to see what happens when someone gets turned back at the border as “computer says no”?
Well yes of course there will be the usual brexit types that show up with short dated passports etc.
But both authorities have to deal with the lowest common denominator.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Last couple of times I’ve through schipol getting into Schengen has been a two hour shuffle to get stamped. Will it be worse than that?
out is fine, they let you use the egates and then stamp.
We should probably just join Schengen to sort some of these things out - the Irish question for example.
No need to join the EU but maybe common standards, and zero tariffs or quotas, and reciprocal working rights would help too.
I’ve probably missed something.
Backwards Britain wouldn't join Schengen as it was WAAAY too sensible (cue 'protecting our borders' bollox') even when in the EU. What would all the unhelpful Bordom Farce employees have to do otherwise? (Maybe go do something useful like fix potholes ??)
Backwards Britain wouldn't join Schengen as it was WAAAY too sensible
And not joining Schengen meant that e.g. Regional Eurostar became non-viable.
Anyone know what’s happening currently? Suggestion in this post on another thread that it’s on hold but ETIAS website says it’s only Dover that’s paused and airport rollout continues: https://etias.com/articles/dover-delays-new-eu-biometric-border-system-amid-french-hold
My worry is what will happen at the French ski airports like Chambery - they get something like ten times their normal traffic during the ski season so are normally chaotic - so with the need to register all Brits (probably 98% of the passengers) they will be even worse.
It’ll be horrendous (though until mid-April it’s not absolutely compulsory).
I still don’t get why there’s not a means of doing the initial checks in advance. There is an app that lets you do some of it but it’s only in use for Sweden at the moment
Anyone know what’s happening currently? Suggestion in this post on another thread that it’s on hold but ETIAS website says it’s only Dover that’s paused and airport rollout continues: https://etias.com/articles/dover-delays-new-eu-biometric-border-system-amid-french-hold
That explains it as we did a day trip to France via Dover last Saturday and there was nothing. Two of us were already registered given a recent trip but one of us had a new passport so needed to re-register as i understand it.
Registration in Croatia was straight forward enough aside that none of the machines worked for anybody when they tried them so it all had to be done at the manned desks