Face & hand scans at Eurostar terminals?

[Hoofhearted]

I've read much about delays being caused due to face and hand scan identification procedures at EU airports when returning to the UK. However, if travelling by Eurostar do passengers still have to go through time consuming face and hand scanning procedures at Paris Nord, with the likelyhood of passengers missing their trains back to London?

 

[befated]

I think Eurostar policy is to hold trains if their passengers are still going through security. That’s what happened last time I travelled (we left Brussels about 15 late)

(In fact, they were also bypassing a lot of the extra EES scans then as well - I think they can use discretion if queues are long)

 

[alex397]

In late July, the process was laborious. I was still going through security when the train was due to leave Brussels. The train thankfully waited until everyone was boarded - I was worried it might leave. I think it’s unlikely it would leave before everyone is boarded as that just leaves the staff with lots of disgruntled passengers to sort out.

Once all the EU citizens were through, the Brexit queue was (eventually) allowed through all passport control booths which sped things up a bit towards the end.
Although it took me and a few others to encourage people to use the extra booths as the 4 Eurostar staff were too busy chatting.

 

[SephenWorceste]

This is interesting. I have read the airlines just leave and tell passengers you should have got to the gate earlier. I wonder if they charge you to rebook.

Eurostar do not allow you to check in earlier so I suppose they have to wait (or at least rebook you for free). Presumably if a train then runs late you will be entitled with the appropriate refund. I do not know what there turnaround time for trains is but the next service for that train might also have to be delayed.

To me Paris has always felt a bit more frantic.

Only London, Brussels and Amsterdam for me this year. All not too bad but not as good as the old days. About half an hour to get through everything.

How did we get in this state?

 

[NCT]

How did we get in this state?

Brexit.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Only London, Brussels and Amsterdam for me this year. All not too bad but not as good as the old days. About half an hour to get through everything.
How did we get in this state?

By leaving the EU, and insisting on being a "third country" in the Brexit negotiations.
Before that, not joining the Schengen zone put us on the wrong side of easy EU travel.

 

[Nigel]

When I departed from Brussels in June, it took me a full hour to get through security and passports, meaning that I only cleared British immigration at the time the train was due to depart. As I was by no means the last in the queue, it was delayed. I travel on an EU passport, but there was no segregation of the queue into EU/non-EU until you reached the head of it. I am am not sure, but I don't think non-EU passport holders were being scanned. I believe part of the problem was that the preceding train was late, only departing 45 minutes before mine, so I assume they only started processing my train once that had gone. Being stuck in a very slow moving queue for an hour in stifling heat was not pleasant.

This was a far worse departure experience than I have had at any airport in the past five years. While I would rather travel by train to Europe, it is now more expensive, slower, and a less pleasant overall experience than flying. Eurostar really do need to up their game.

 

[signed]

than I have had at any airport in the past five years.

Airports aren’t immune. In mid-June a British colleague took 2h to enter through Prague Airport

Paris CDG, Amsterdam, Lisbon and Frankfurt are so wildly swinging from very flowing to absolute carnage even in a single day. Brussels’ issue is security controls.

The whole system is shambles

 

[NCT]

Yesterday I caught an Amsterdam starter at Brussels. Getting through the pre-departure process was a breeze - I suspect helped by the fact the terminal only had to process 1/3 of the train's capacity; I had never experienced such an empty terminal at Brussels before.

Fingerprint scanning was done at the EU exit window.

 

[rvdborgt]

This is interesting. I have read the airlines just leave and tell passengers you should have got to the gate earlier. I wonder if they charge you to rebook.

Eurostar do not allow you to check in earlier so I suppose they have to wait (or at least rebook you for free). Presumably if a train then runs late you will be entitled with the appropriate refund. I do not know what there turnaround time for trains is but the next service for that train might also have to be delayed.

I did see a report about Amsterdam earlier this year, where the terminal and passport control were opened only minutes before check-in closed (not sure why) but the 6:40 train left on time nevertheless.

 

[Dougal2345]

Went through Gare du Nord the other day on a journey home.

Had to scan my passport and have my photo taken three times - at the new machines, the French gates, and the UK gates. I don't think there was any fingerprint scanning though, unless I missed it!

Although it all went pretty smoothly for me, I wonder why they can't at least combine the new machines with the French passport gates so there's only one scan/photo on the French side (assuming the new machines are for the benefit of the French? I get a little baffled by the whole process and just go through it in a state of slight irritation!).

 

[Jim the Jim]

Yesterday I caught an Amsterdam starter at Brussels. Getting through the pre-departure process was a breeze - I suspect helped by the fact the terminal only had to process 1/3 of the train's capacity; I had never experienced such an empty terminal at Brussels before.

Fingerprint scanning was done at the EU exit window.

I was on a train (maybe the same one?) from Rotterdam, and the process seemed pretty quick - but I also got the impression there were fewer people than normal. The train left 5 minutes late but it had been delayed by more than that leaving Amsterdam, notionally due to being unusually busy although it felt very quiet when I was on it!

Conversely it took quite a long time last week to enter via Hook of Holland as a ferry foot passenger.

 

[Mikey C]

I did see a report about Amsterdam earlier this year, where the terminal and passport control were opened only minutes before check-in closed (not sure why) but the 6:40 train left on time nevertheless.

Last year (so before the new rules) my early morning train from Amsterdam left late as the security and passport control opened ridiculously late, and there were masses of people to process.

I've entered and left the EU by Eurostar and plane this year, and have definitely had the fingerprint and facial scans, but never been asked about my travel plans, insurance, hotel etc

 

[STINT47]

Amsterdam often has big queues and trains departing late.

In July it took me 90 minuets from joining the queue to boarding the train. The trains departure was 45 minuets late.

The issue was that they only had four people doing the scans. Dutch boarder control insisted on everyone being done and it often took more than one attempt before the machine read your details correctly.

Next time I'm going to try coming back through Rotterdam as I can reach either terminal easily enough from where I stay in Utrecht. With less passengers hopefully it will be quicker and whilst the train may be delayed at least I'll be sat in the departure area and not stood in a queue.

The bonus of the train is that it will wait for everyone so as long as your at the terminal before the gates close you'll be traveling. Having said that if I encounter delays like that again I'm unlikely to continue travelling as its a pretty awful experience.

 

[Trainbike46]

Amsterdam often has big queues and trains departing late.

In July it took me 90 minuets from joining the queue to boarding the train. The trains departure was 45 minuets late.

The issue was that they only had four people doing the scans. Dutch boarder control insisted on everyone being done and it often took more than one attempt before the machine read your details correctly.

Next time I'm going to try coming back through Rotterdam as I can reach either terminal easily enough from where I stay in Utrecht. With less passengers hopefully it will be quicker and whilst the train may be delayed at least I'll be sat in the departure area and not stood in a queue.

The bonus of the train is that it will wait for everyone so as long as your at the terminal before the gates close you'll be traveling. Having said that if I encounter delays like that again I'm unlikely to continue travelling as its a pretty awful experience.

Part of the issue from the Dutch stations is that the Dutch border force has decided to prioritise other tasks over border checks for Eurostar. As Eurostar pays for the border officers, and as it appears from Eurostar's statements on the issue (in 2025) that the Dutch border force is not acting in accordance with the agreement between Eurostar and the Dutch government, that the blame for this should squarely lie on the Dutch government.

In the interest of balance, I should point out that the Dutch border force's official position is that Eurostar border checks are not part of their "wettelijke taak" (legal duty in Dutch), and that Eurostar should simply sell fewer tickets to match whatever capacity the border force is willing to make available. I would add that at the time of they released this statement the border force was undertaking massive checks on people entering over land from Germany, despite there not normally being border checks to Germany, diverting massive amounts of resources from the airports, NL-UK borders (both Eurostar and Ferry), and intelligence led operations, on orders of the (then) minister for political reasons. I would also add that the Dutch government, if Eurostar's statement above is to be believed, is not exactly responsive to Eurostar, and takes 9 months to reply to things that have a 14-day deadline. Given my experience with Dutch government, I am inclined to believe Eurostar on this matter.

I was hoping this would have been resolved by now, and so far I have been lucky enough to have avoided these issues, but if you still experienced these issues this summer then the hoped-for resolution has either not materialised, or the extra chaos from EES has caused extra issues.

 

[AdamWW]

Part of the issue from the Dutch stations is that the Dutch border force has decided to prioritise other tasks over border checks for Eurostar. As Eurostar pays for the border officers, and as it appears from Eurostar's statements on the issue (in 2025) that the Dutch border force is not acting in accordance with the agreement between Eurostar and the Dutch government, that the blame for this should squarely lie on the Dutch government.

In the interest of balance, I should point out that the Dutch border force's official position is that Eurostar border checks are not part of their "wettelijke taak" (legal duty in Dutch), and that Eurostar should simply sell fewer tickets to match whatever capacity the border force is willing to make available. I would add that at the time of they released this statement the border force was undertaking massive checks on people entering over land from Germany, despite there not normally being border checks to Germany, diverting massive amounts of resources from the airports, NL-UK borders (both Eurostar and Ferry), and intelligence led operations, on orders of the (then) minister for political reasons. I would also add that the Dutch government, if Eurostar's statement above is to be believed, is not exactly responsive to Eurostar, and takes 9 months to reply to things that have a 14-day deadline. Given my experience with Dutch government, I am inclined to believe Eurostar on this matter.

I was hoping this would have been resolved by now, and so far I have been lucky enough to have avoided these issues, but if you still experienced these issues this summer then the hoped-for resolution has either not materialised, or the extra chaos from EES has caused extra issues.

Possibly I have the wrong end of the stick but I thought I'd read that the Dutch government were keen on the direct Eurostar service rather than it being a purely commercial decision by Eurostar.

 

[Trainbike46]

Possibly I have the wrong end of the stick but I thought I'd read that the Dutch government were keen on the direct Eurostar service rather than it being a purely commercial decision by Eurostar.

My understanding is that the department of infrastructure and water (responsible for transport) is keen on direct Eurostar services, and has supported the start of the services, with both (government-owned) NS and the infrastructure company ProRail being helpful and part of making the services happen as well. Other government departments, especially the department responsible for borders and border force, has been unhelpful to say the least. The multiple years of delay between starting the direct service to the Netherlands and the direct service to London was squarely the fault of Dutch government, and there being insufficient border officials and very slow communication is similarly on the Dutch government (department of asylum and migration in 2025, now department of justice and safety).