T5 e-gates now open: Australia, Canada, Japan, NZ, Singapore, S Korea & USA citizens
May 20, 2019, 9:46 am
#1
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T5 e-gates now open: Australia, Canada, Japan, NZ, Singapore, S Korea & USA citizens
The main thread is below, but for the benefit of any BA passengers arriving into T5 today / this week: all the LHR T5 e-gates now accept biometric passports issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States. I just went through on my NZ passport and it took no more or less time than on the UK/French passports. All machines were switched on, so anyone going through the UK Border would go straight to a machine.
And landing cards for all nationalities are also scrapped as of today.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-...countries.html
And landing cards for all nationalities are also scrapped as of today.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-...countries.html
May 20, 2019, 10:22 am
#2
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Ah nice - I saw this today when landing at T5 but at 6am my brain thought it'd been there for a little while. The crew did make mention that landing cards were now scrapped so this is good news all round 
May 20, 2019, 10:46 am
#3
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Are there any additional e-gates at T5? And will more than half of them ever be open?
I know it's only 7 additional countries, but those 7 countries must contribute a sizeable proportion of the non-EU arrivals at T5.
I know it's only 7 additional countries, but those 7 countries must contribute a sizeable proportion of the non-EU arrivals at T5.
May 20, 2019, 10:50 am
#4
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No extra gates added, but all were switched on this afternoon when normally only half would be - and that would sufficient for the numbers at that time of day. Both e-gate verification points were staffed with 3 Border Force officers rather than the usual one. An anecdote isn't data, but it isn't necessarily bad news if low risk people get machine processed and some staff shifted over from the desks to machine verification.
May 20, 2019, 11:03 am
#5
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No extra gates added, but all were switched on this afternoon when normally only half would be - and that would sufficient for the numbers at that time of day. Both e-gate verification points were staffed with 3 Border Force officers rather than the usual one. An anecdote isn't data, but it isn't necessarily bad news if low risk people get machine processed and some staff shifted over from the desks to machine verification.
May 20, 2019, 11:30 am
#7
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As a UK national are you allowed to enter on a foreign passport? Back in the day of manual processing a border agent in no uncertain terms told me that was against the law and he was not sending me to jail that day only because he was a good man. I remember researching this topic in "Internets", failed to find anything and just decided not to push my luck with UKBA.
May 20, 2019, 11:55 am
#8
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Yes, it's not like the USA. However I don't have an absolute right of entry unless I used my UK passport or freedom of movement as on my French passport.
You may have encountered some typical sense of British humour from your Border Force officer.
You may have encountered some typical sense of British humour from your Border Force officer.
Last edited by corporate-wage-slave; May 20, 2019 at 12:00 pm
May 20, 2019, 12:13 pm
#10
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May 20, 2019, 12:17 pm
#11
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May 20, 2019, 12:52 pm
#13
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May 21, 2019, 12:29 am
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However I don't have an absolute right of entry unless I used my UK passport or freedom of movement as on my French passport.
While freedom of movement grants you an automatic leave, a French citizen can still be stopped and deported. However, the UK border force needs good reasons for that.