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 Ł70 of which Ł50 is refunded if the application is rejected. Renewal costs Ł50 each year and changes of document details cost Ł20.
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 Ł70 of which Ł50 is refunded if the application is rejected. Renewal costs Ł50 each year and changes of document details cost Ł20.
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, 1:17 pm
#31
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: RBKC
Programs: AA EXP and Eurostar Carte Blanche
Posts: 3,849
Sep 16, 2013, 3:18 pm
#32
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: BOS
Programs: BA GLD for LIfe, AA PLT 2 MM miler, B6 Mosaic, Star GLD; HH Diamond; Marriott PLT, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,368
OP, thanks for posting. I can literally wait, but I think I am eligible and will be thrilled to start up with something that doesn't fill my passport. My passport is filling up quickly with UK stamps (probably 7 or 8 trips in the last 10 weeks.) Back again next week.
IRIS, which was good when it worked, was sometimes much faster -- if you happened to arrive behind a plane from someplace Third Worldly (e.g., Nigeria or Bangladesh). I have been getting Fast Track forms from BA on most if not all flights and that has generally been pretty fast, though I have had times when that was slower than the normal line and much slower than IRIS.
IRIS, which was good when it worked, was sometimes much faster -- if you happened to arrive behind a plane from someplace Third Worldly (e.g., Nigeria or Bangladesh). I have been getting Fast Track forms from BA on most if not all flights and that has generally been pretty fast, though I have had times when that was slower than the normal line and much slower than IRIS.
Sep 16, 2013, 3:29 pm
#33
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Brighton, UK
Programs: BA Gold, IC Ambassador, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Fairmont Platinum
Posts: 3,166
Not sure how you arrived at that conclusion!
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.
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.
It seems to me at least that to enrol in the Registered Traveller Scheme requires that the applicant was formerly registered for IRIS AND is a citizen of the USA, Canada etc AND has completed at least 4 trips to UK in last year AND is a short term visitor. [Per the revised UKBA web page]
That seems to me to exclude all EU nationals and all nationals of any country not specified in the second requirement from enrolment.
The correctness of that interpretation seems to be confirmed by the part of the UKBA page (which is on IRIS after all) that implies that the e-passport gates are the IRIS replacement for EU citizens and the Registered Traveller Scheme is the option for non-EU citizens from certain countries who were registered for IRIS.
If this interpretation is wrong, is it really beyond the linguistic skills of the UKBA to spell out that in fact all former IRIS users can enrol in the new Registered Traveller Scheme, whether they are EU citizens or not.
More to the point, is it that difficult to devise a frequent traveller scheme? To my mind this should not be restricted to business travellers. As someone who flies into the UK 20 or more times a year, I would say I was a frequent traveller, but none of those trips are for business.
Sep 16, 2013, 3:39 pm
#34
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Here and there
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,551
It is still showing "or" at the moment...
Sep 16, 2013, 4:17 pm
#35
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Silver, Mucci
Posts: 5,289
I arrived at the conclusion based on the logic of what the UKBA have written (and now clarified by changing "or" to "and").
It seems to me at least that to enrol in the Registered Traveller Scheme requires that the applicant was formerly registered for IRIS AND is a citizen of the USA, Canada etc AND has completed at least 4 trips to UK in last year AND is a short term visitor. [Per the revised UKBA web page]
That seems to me to exclude all EU nationals and all nationals of any country not specified in the second requirement from enrolment.
The correctness of that interpretation seems to be confirmed by the part of the UKBA page (which is on IRIS after all) that implies that the e-passport gates are the IRIS replacement for EU citizens and the Registered Traveller Scheme is the option for non-EU citizens from certain countries who were registered for IRIS.
If this interpretation is wrong, is it really beyond the linguistic skills of the UKBA to spell out that in fact all former IRIS users can enrol in the new Registered Traveller Scheme, whether they are EU citizens or not.
More to the point, is it that difficult to devise a frequent traveller scheme? To my mind this should not be restricted to business travellers. As someone who flies into the UK 20 or more times a year, I would say I was a frequent traveller, but none of those trips are for business.
It seems to me at least that to enrol in the Registered Traveller Scheme requires that the applicant was formerly registered for IRIS AND is a citizen of the USA, Canada etc AND has completed at least 4 trips to UK in last year AND is a short term visitor. [Per the revised UKBA web page]
That seems to me to exclude all EU nationals and all nationals of any country not specified in the second requirement from enrolment.
The correctness of that interpretation seems to be confirmed by the part of the UKBA page (which is on IRIS after all) that implies that the e-passport gates are the IRIS replacement for EU citizens and the Registered Traveller Scheme is the option for non-EU citizens from certain countries who were registered for IRIS.
If this interpretation is wrong, is it really beyond the linguistic skills of the UKBA to spell out that in fact all former IRIS users can enrol in the new Registered Traveller Scheme, whether they are EU citizens or not.
More to the point, is it that difficult to devise a frequent traveller scheme? To my mind this should not be restricted to business travellers. As someone who flies into the UK 20 or more times a year, I would say I was a frequent traveller, but none of those trips are for business.
Sep 16, 2013, 4:38 pm
#36
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, CX Gold (OW Sapphire), Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, Accor Platinum
Posts: 1,476
Fat end of no use: are UKBA basically telling me that if I want faster border controls as a UK passport holder, I need to cough up for a new passport instead of my current non-biometric one which ends in 2015?
Sep 16, 2013, 5:27 pm
#37
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: LCY
Posts: 1,222
Don't forget that the UK passport agency will add up to nine months of the validity of your old passport onto the new one - making the coughing up slightly less painful if your expiry is perhaps January 2015.
Sep 16, 2013, 7:27 pm
#38
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston
Programs: UA GS 2.6MM & Lifetime UC, Qantas Platinum, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum, HawaiianMiles
Posts: 8,689
Heard rumors of this in HK a few weeks ago, hopefully can get on-board quickly as a GE, as I visit UK many time a year!
Sep 17, 2013, 2:07 am
#41
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, CX Gold (OW Sapphire), Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, Accor Platinum
Posts: 1,476
Sadly, I'm at the other end with a December 2015 expiry date! I'd be binning circa 18 months validity basically ... which would be immensely annoying, considering how much they charge for new passports.
Sep 17, 2013, 2:19 am
#42
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,654
I'm in the same boat with a non-chipped passport ending in June 2016, and a number of Visas in it. Huge faff getting it replaced with a biometric one, plus then having to carry two passports with me anyway when heading to the US (for the visa in the old one).
Sep 17, 2013, 5:23 am
#43
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London
Posts: 1,251
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.
- 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.
Sep 17, 2013, 5:56 am
#44
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,760
I am in the realm of partly informed speculation, which is always dangerous. But I would be surprised if they were actually excluded, since the object of the exercise is to reduce effort on those passengers who don't require effort. Again I am speculating, but what often happens in these situations is that the scheme gets refined and improved over time. E.g., well, IRIS.
