Originally Posted by
mmogdan
I recently got a new passport made. On going through T5 yesterday the new passport didn’t work either. I asked the agent who said he would check. He then told me “your passport is perfect”, I asked him what that meant and he just kept repeating “your passport is perfect” with a smile on his face.
A colleague with exclusively a US passport recently related that as of last month, the e-gates suddenly no longer work for him (he has tried LHR, LGW, and Eurostar in Paris so far). Still works at e-gates in other countries. No changes to the passport nor any reason to suspect it has been damaged. As above, Border Force staff won't reveal if there is any reason why it's no longer working in the e-gates. He says he suspects it's due to an unusually frequent number of visits to the UK over the last two years, sometimes as much as four times a month (new girlfriend). I wonder if that could be the reason? The visits I mean, not the girlfriend
Originally Posted by
brownc
If you use an E-gate and it says "Seek Assistance", is there any benefit in trying another gate[?]
Yes, unless you are aware your passport won't work, for me it's always been worth trying another gate. I get rejected occasionally when I don't hold the passport down correctly in a state of half-awake stupor. The second gate has always worked
