Border control at St Pancras

[Goldfish62]

Last week when travelling from St Pancras to Brussels on Eurostar the border procedure was more of a faff than usual, with no fewer than three checks of my passport. First came the manual British check, then very slow e-gates which rejected around 50% of passports (not mine) then the French manual "check" and stamping from the usual very bored looking border personnel. On the return trip at Brussels there was no such faff - the usual stamp out from Belgium then the fast UK e-gate.

The e-gates at St Pancras were double - first one gate scanned my passport then the second gate took a photo. It was all very slow. Are these the new gates for the entry-exit system, but with finger prints not yet enabled? If so I can see chaos ahead.

 

[route101]

Why is there a check of passports leaving the UK?

 

[Segedunum]

Why is there a check of passports leaving the UK?

Believe it was to do with Eurostar not submitting Advance Passenger Information (which I believe is changing or has changed).

 

[Goldfish62]

Believe it was to do with Eurostar not submitting Advance Passenger Information (which I believe is changing or has changed).

API is mandatory on Eurostar. You can't download your ticket until you submit it.

 

[Vespa]

It's part of the bi lateral agreement just like the Le Torquet agreenent in Calais and Folkestone.

 

[nwales58]

Why is there a check of passports leaving the UK?

History. We stopped checking decades ago, exits were not recorded routinely.

Then the public started worrying about visa overstayers. If someone left by air it was recorded, sort of, but not otherwise.

So we started recording all exits to know who was still here. But don’t mention the irish land border. Even if we tried to track overstayers it’s far too expensivve.

 

[williamn]

This has been the normal procedure for some while.

 

[Goldfish62]

This has been the normal procedure for some while.

When I travelled in March it was just a manual UK and French check and stamp. There were no e-gates. These stopped being used for UK citizens for entry to the EU with Brexit. The gates I had to use last week are a new third layer of passport check that's been added.

 

[MattSGB]

In my opinion, everyone in the know should be using the iProove.me app. I used it last week and I just sailed through the gate next to business premier without showing my ticket, my phone or my passport at the British border. There was no one else using the dedicated x-ray machine and I was through to the french border within 60 seconds (again dedicated to smart check-in and business premier passengers). I cannot recommend it enough. Absolutely zero queues for anything. Note that there is some out of date information on the Eurostar website about this being only for business premier customers - it isn't, I had standard tickets.

 

[riceuten]

History. We stopped checking decades ago, exits were not recorded routinely.

Then the public started worrying about visa overstayers. If someone left by air it was recorded, sort of, but not otherwise.

So we started recording all exits to know who was still here. But don’t mention the Irish land border. Even if we tried to track overstayers it’s far too expensive.

One of the newspapers - the Mail or the Express - obsessed on the former for a while, and pressured the government (such as they could)to reintroduce it.

 

[Goldfish62]

In my opinion, everyone in the know should be using the iProove.me app. I used it last week and I just sailed through the gate next to business premier without showing my ticket, my phone or my passport at the British border. There was no one else using the dedicated x-ray machine and I was through to the french border within 60 seconds (again dedicated to smart check-in and business premier passengers). I cannot recommend it enough. Absolutely zero queues for anything. Note that there is some out of date information on the Eurostar website about this being only for business premier customers - it isn't, I had standard tickets.

I think you'll find that app is only for Business Premier customers.

Anyway, borders don't distinguish between what class of ticket passengers have. You still have exactly the same checks as everyone else.

 

[MattSGB]

I think you'll find that app is only for Business Premier customers.

Anyway, borders don't distinguish between what class of ticket passengers have. You still have exactly the same checks as everyone else.

As I said, it is for any ticket holders. Some online information is out of date, saying that is for business premier only. I used it last week with a standard class ticket.

Although passengers may electronically receive the same checks, using the smart queue avoids both the ticket barrier queue and the physical British outbound border check. You walk through the smart queue entrance and immediately get to a dedicated x-ray machine and then a partially dedicated french border booth.

 

[calopez]

As I said, it is for any ticket holders.

Indeed, I used it a couple of weeks ago with the cheapest possible ticket, a standard class safeguarded single. It was brilliant... but may become less so as it gets better known!

 

[Beebman]

As I said, it is for any ticket holders. Some online information is out of date, saying that is for business premier only. I used it last week with a standard class ticket.

I used it at the end of last month in Standard Premier, however the barrier rejected the code on my phone so I went to the manned desk there where I was informed that there had been a set swap (a 373 for a 374) so I was issued with a new paper ticket. I was still though able to use the iProove entrance and not have to join the long main queue.

 

[MattSGB]

I used it at the end of last month in Standard Premier, however the barrier rejected the code on my phone so I went to the manned desk there where I was informed that there had been a set swap (a 373 for a 374) so I was issued with a new paper ticket. I was still though able to use the iProove entrance and not have to join the long main queue.

I had wondered how it would work with a set swap. Mine was also changed to a 373 but they changed it with enough notice that I was able to choose new seats on the Eurostar app beforehand, avoiding the need to issue a paper ticket.