Sep 24, 2013, 7:39 am
Last edit by: BotB
The Registered Traveller Scheme is intended to allow easier entry for regular visitors to the UK.
The scheme is available for regular travelers to the UK who have a passport issued by
Africa
Botswana, Namibia, Seychelles.
Asia
Brunei, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region passports only), Japan, Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan (if your passport has a personal ID number on the photo page)
Europe
Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City State.
Middle East
Israel.
North America
Bahamas, Canada, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, USA.
Oceania
Australia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga.
South and Central America
Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay.
* Visited the UK 4 times in the previous 24 months as a Business visitor, General visitor, Member of a diplomatic mission, Academic visitor, Entertainment or sports visitor, In transit - passing through the UK, Parent of a child in a UK school or Medical visitor. This generally includes tourists.
* Hold a valid visa in the categories Tiers 1, 2, 4 or 5 (excluding Creative/Sporting concession), Indefinite Leave to Remain, Naturalisation, UK Ancestry, Family member or spouse/partner. Note that EEA family permits, discretionary leave and leave outside the rules are excluded.
The application cost is £70 of which £50 is refunded if the application is rejected. Renewal costs £50 each year and changes of document details cost £20.
Registered Travellers are able to use the faster entry lanes (generally EU lines) when going through the UK Border at Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick (special registered traveller line), Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Southend and Stansted airports (or, alternatively, the ePassport gates if they have a biometric passport; while the ePassport gates at LHR T3 & T4 are being renovated the FastTrak lines can be used or the EU lines can be used). You will not have to fill in a landing card. (you do still need to carry your visa or BRP (biometric residence permit))
In addition, Registered Travellers are able to go through the UK Border at the Brussels, Lille and Paris Eurostar terminals without having to fill in a landing card.
Registered Travellers who hold a UK visa will not have their fingerprints checked at the UK Border.
Registration link: https://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller
The scheme is available for regular travelers to the UK who have a passport issued by
Africa
Botswana, Namibia, Seychelles.
Asia
Brunei, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region passports only), Japan, Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan (if your passport has a personal ID number on the photo page)
Europe
Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City State.
Middle East
Israel.
North America
Bahamas, Canada, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, USA.
Oceania
Australia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga.
South and Central America
Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay.
* Visited the UK 4 times in the previous 24 months as a Business visitor, General visitor, Member of a diplomatic mission, Academic visitor, Entertainment or sports visitor, In transit - passing through the UK, Parent of a child in a UK school or Medical visitor. This generally includes tourists.
* Hold a valid visa in the categories Tiers 1, 2, 4 or 5 (excluding Creative/Sporting concession), Indefinite Leave to Remain, Naturalisation, UK Ancestry, Family member or spouse/partner. Note that EEA family permits, discretionary leave and leave outside the rules are excluded.
The application cost is £70 of which £50 is refunded if the application is rejected. Renewal costs £50 each year and changes of document details cost £20.
Registered Travellers are able to use the faster entry lanes (generally EU lines) when going through the UK Border at Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick (special registered traveller line), Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Southend and Stansted airports (or, alternatively, the ePassport gates if they have a biometric passport; while the ePassport gates at LHR T3 & T4 are being renovated the FastTrak lines can be used or the EU lines can be used). You will not have to fill in a landing card. (you do still need to carry your visa or BRP (biometric residence permit))
In addition, Registered Travellers are able to go through the UK Border at the Brussels, Lille and Paris Eurostar terminals without having to fill in a landing card.
Registered Travellers who hold a UK visa will not have their fingerprints checked at the UK Border.
Registration link: https://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller
Some extra information from Gatwick Airport is here.
Older terms and conditions of the initial trial are recorded in post 78.
Registered Traveller Scheme - easier entry for regular visitors to the UK
Sep 16, 2013, 8:29 am
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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If you visit the UKBA site it says this:
Alternatives to IRIS
Alternatives are available to IRIS users who:
- possess an EEA or UK biometric passport, via self service e-passport gates located at all terminals where IRIS was used;
- are non EU Travellers and eligible to use the registered traveller scheme.
Thus the UKBA are absolutely clear that the Registered Travellers Scheme is only applicable to non-EU travellers
Alternatives to IRIS
Alternatives are available to IRIS users who:
- possess an EEA or UK biometric passport, via self service e-passport gates located at all terminals where IRIS was used;
- are non EU Travellers and eligible to use the registered traveller scheme.
Thus the UKBA are absolutely clear that the Registered Travellers Scheme is only applicable to non-EU travellers
The wording makes clear that some, but not all non-EU travellers are eligible to use the Registered Travellers Scheme. (And presumably they mean non-(EU & EEA & Switzerland)!!)
This text does not enable you to draw any conclusions whatsoever about the eligibility of any EU traveller to use the scheme.
Sep 16, 2013, 10:42 am
#20
Join Date: Nov 2009
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With hat tips to Microwave and rwoman, I think this had better have its own thread since after several weeks of interesting announcements, this is perhaps the most significant.
Current text of the UK Border Agency website:
Registered traveller scheme
The registered traveller scheme launches 24 September 2013 and will improve the way regular visitors can pass through the UK border. It will initially be available at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
Passengers can apply for the scheme if they:
Current URL is:
Registered Traveller Scheme
And many thanks for the budget cuts in the USA, which indirectly pushed this scheme on to the civil service fast track!
Current text of the UK Border Agency website:
Registered traveller scheme
The registered traveller scheme launches 24 September 2013 and will improve the way regular visitors can pass through the UK border. It will initially be available at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
Passengers can apply for the scheme if they:
- previously registered to use IRIS;
- are from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or New Zealand;
- have completed at least 4 trips to the UK in the last 52 weeks; or
- are a short term visitor to the UK aged over 18.
Current URL is:
Registered Traveller Scheme
And many thanks for the budget cuts in the USA, which indirectly pushed this scheme on to the civil service fast track!
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/cu...euk/usingiris/
Passengers can apply for the scheme if they:
- previously registered to use IRIS;
- are from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or New Zealand;
- have completed at least 4 trips to the UK in the last 52 weeks; and
- are a short term visitor to the UK aged over 18.
Sep 16, 2013, 10:49 am
#21
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: The greatest wee nation on earth.
Programs: Iron Maiden FC, GE, Rapidly falling down the Tiers to oblivion.
Posts: 2,604
As an ex-pat GE holder, I thank all the Brit tax payers for this scheme effectively allowing GE to come into my grubby mitts. Luckily i am not concerned about the UK as i never 'get off' in London from an international flight, i think only once to watch Iron Maiden at the O2 last year, and due to being massively hung over from far too much bubbles on the plane, I cannot remember LHR at all. Is it really that much hassle for Brits to enter the UK (London that is) at LHR? No matter how rammed T5 seems to be, i have never taken more than a minute to get through (but that is connections and a very different and just as confusing story).
Sep 16, 2013, 11:26 am
#22
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The or seems to be an and.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/cu...euk/usingiris/
Passengers can apply for the scheme if they:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/cu...euk/usingiris/
Passengers can apply for the scheme if they:
- previously registered to use IRIS;
- are from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or New Zealand;
- have completed at least 4 trips to the UK in the last 52 weeks; and
- are a short term visitor to the UK aged over 18.
Where did CWS get his "or" from?
Sep 16, 2013, 11:31 am
#23
Join Date: Feb 2007
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IRIS was brilliant (when it worked). Since then there have been nothing but boards and cones out while they build something else at Gatwick which seems to work even less.
Big thumbs down for removing IRIS, they should have just removed the idiots that couldn't line their eyes up with the targets instead, or made it a 2-go thing and then had a side door where they were booted out and sent to the back of the regular queue for being stupid and making everyone else wait.
Big thumbs down for removing IRIS, they should have just removed the idiots that couldn't line their eyes up with the targets instead, or made it a 2-go thing and then had a side door where they were booted out and sent to the back of the regular queue for being stupid and making everyone else wait.
Sep 16, 2013, 11:34 am
#24
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: QFF P1 LTG, lots of others
Posts: 320
I wonder if this will apply to the non EU PP holders mentioned that have a work permit in the UK?
If it's just fast track access then would only make a huge difference to those non BA silver/gold ppl who dont travel business class - which I'd imagine isnt a huge number.
If it's just fast track access then would only make a huge difference to those non BA silver/gold ppl who dont travel business class - which I'd imagine isnt a huge number.
Sep 16, 2013, 11:41 am
#25
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
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- previously registered to use IRIS; or
- are from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or New Zealand; or
- have completed at least 4 trips to the UK in the last 52 weeks; and
- are a short term visitor to the UK aged over 18.
Someone looked at it and read it to meaning that all short term visitors can have it, hence the rapid correction.
Sep 16, 2013, 11:53 am
#27
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
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Sep 16, 2013, 12:50 pm
#28
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MAN/BHX
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Posts: 6,027
My interpretation of the semi colons and final Or statement means that it's either / or all the way down. That's usually how it works, at least. I understand that UK citizens cannot use this, since they have access to e-passports (which is fast everywhere but T5, but apparently some more gates are on their way).
If you have 6 border guards, you can run either 6 manual desks or 9 e-passport desks. The e-passport machines are slower, but as long as they aren't more than 50% slower overall it should be ok.
Of course, no queue jumping for premium EU passengers, just johnny foreigner.
Sep 16, 2013, 12:57 pm
#29
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Apologies for any offence to c-w-s … it had me really quite confused! 
Congratulations to The Border Agency, Home Office and/or any other culpable suits who seem incapable of communicating effectively.
Congratulations to The Border Agency, Home Office and/or any other culpable suits who seem incapable of communicating effectively.
Sep 16, 2013, 12:58 pm
#30
Join Date: Nov 2009
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I cut and pasted it, so someone has updated it since this afternoon. Here's another copy and here's another. Now this must be wrong, since it defeats the original purpose of Trusted Traveller as well as the Global Entry deal. So my very strong suspicion is that it should be:
- previously registered to use IRIS; or
- are from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or New Zealand; or
- have completed at least 4 trips to the UK in the last 52 weeks; and
- are a short term visitor to the UK aged over 18.
Someone looked at it and read it to meaning that all short term visitors can have it, hence the rapid correction.
- previously registered to use IRIS; or
- are from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or New Zealand; or
- have completed at least 4 trips to the UK in the last 52 weeks; and
- are a short term visitor to the UK aged over 18.
Someone looked at it and read it to meaning that all short term visitors can have it, hence the rapid correction.
