Originally Posted by
sungod
The initial fingerprint and facial scan is only done once, then it goes into the EES database (and lasts three years I believe.)
It's the initial scan that is likely to cause queues at airport arrivals once things ramp up.
For Eurostar those machines are not at the border, they're before check-in, there's a booth opposite business check-in with several kiosks.
Subsequent checks are to verify against the database to see if person+passport match. That isn't done at the scanning kiosks, but at the border crossing point, either with EES self-service kiosks/egates or a staffed border check, still have to get the passport stamped until things are fully live in April.
I still don't see why the "initial scan" can't be done at the "border crossing point" just as with the "subsequent checks".
So they expect everyone to know when it's been 3 years since their "initial scan" and they'll need to do another? Sounds ambitious. From 3 years time onwards, I foresee people continually going straight to the immigration officer / egate (after queuing for 15 minutes) and then getting rejected and being forced to go back to a kiosk.