Passport never works at eGates?
Jul 20, 2022, 7:21 am
#226
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: EK, VS, SA, HH
Posts: 64
Seconding this. For iOS/Android, the "ReadID Me" app (and probably others) are capable of scanning not only passports but some ID cards/drivers licenses, great fun to test out and you can save a digital copy of your passport photo!
Jul 20, 2022, 9:16 am
#227
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,197
Watchlist it is then! I assume there's little I can do about that?
Jul 20, 2022, 1:18 pm
#229
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BRS
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,995
Jul 20, 2022, 2:24 pm
#230
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Can I ask a vaguely related question about ETIAS? I have a UK passport and Swiss Residence/Work Permit. I don't get my passport stamped at Geneva and the days spent in Switzerland don't count towards my 90/180 days in Europe.
I assume in the future that ETIAS will count my days in Europe and flag if I have overstayed.
So what happens if I enter Europe at Calais, drive to Switzerland, spend a few weeks there, drive back again exiting the EU at Calais. How do I stop ETIAS counting my days in Switzerland. I've pinged ETIAS via their contact page but nobody answers.
(The problem exists today with passport stamps, but at least if a human challenges me I'll have the paperwork to back up my Swiss trips. If "ETIAS computer says no" I'm probably stuffed)
Thanks!
I assume in the future that ETIAS will count my days in Europe and flag if I have overstayed.
So what happens if I enter Europe at Calais, drive to Switzerland, spend a few weeks there, drive back again exiting the EU at Calais. How do I stop ETIAS counting my days in Switzerland. I've pinged ETIAS via their contact page but nobody answers.
(The problem exists today with passport stamps, but at least if a human challenges me I'll have the paperwork to back up my Swiss trips. If "ETIAS computer says no" I'm probably stuffed)
Thanks!
Jul 20, 2022, 3:06 pm
#231
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,197
Jul 20, 2022, 3:51 pm
#232
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: London (née Melbourne)
Programs: Qantas Platinum (Oneworld Emerald)
Posts: 988
I got "seek assistance" again on a recent return, and this time had a friendly and rather chatty border agent so tried to ask if he saw any issues with my passport or why he thought it tells me to "seek assistance" most of the time.
He said the most common reason is not looking directly at the camera. I'm pretty sure I was standing still looking straight into it, but now that he mentioned it I'll pay close attention to where I'm looking next time and see if it makes any difference.
He said the most common reason is not looking directly at the camera. I'm pretty sure I was standing still looking straight into it, but now that he mentioned it I'll pay close attention to where I'm looking next time and see if it makes any difference.
Jul 21, 2022, 2:17 am
#233
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: South East England
Programs: BAEC: Bronze, HHonors: Silver, Virgin Flying Club: Red, Miles & More
Posts: 339
I got "seek assistance" again on a recent return, and this time had a friendly and rather chatty border agent so tried to ask if he saw any issues with my passport or why he thought it tells me to "seek assistance" most of the time.
He said the most common reason is not looking directly at the camera. I'm pretty sure I was standing still looking straight into it, but now that he mentioned it I'll pay close attention to where I'm looking next time and see if it makes any difference.
He said the most common reason is not looking directly at the camera. I'm pretty sure I was standing still looking straight into it, but now that he mentioned it I'll pay close attention to where I'm looking next time and see if it makes any difference.
I did just try ReadID Me, and sure enough the chip wouldn't read, so at least for me I now know the problem. I tried my wife's in case it was something I was doing wrong, but that worked fine. Thankfully will be renewing my passport later this year.
Jul 21, 2022, 2:22 am
#234
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Kendal, Cumbria and Luzon
Programs: BA Silver, PR Elite, Avis Preferred Plus, PC Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 1,131
Reading https://assets.publishing.service.go...nuary_2021.pdf
So the watchlist rejection looks to be false information as generally the 'seek assistance' is during the initial machine readable information.
Facial recognition is only attempted after (1) successful read of ePassport chip (b) camera photo of face. In most cases I never get to a framed face shot at UK gates.
So is anybody reading the reports and benchmarking? Last week the referral queues at LHR T5 were long
but
Oh dear - I wonder if the aged gates have problems with the Gemalto chips in the new Blue passports. Most of the rereferral queues I experienced at LHR T5 has Blue passports in their hands
Oh dear
So the watchlist rejection looks to be false information as generally the 'seek assistance' is during the initial machine readable information.
Facial recognition is only attempted after (1) successful read of ePassport chip (b) camera photo of face. In most cases I never get to a framed face shot at UK gates.
So is anybody reading the reports and benchmarking? Last week the referral queues at LHR T5 were long
but
Oh dear - I wonder if the aged gates have problems with the Gemalto chips in the new Blue passports. Most of the rereferral queues I experienced at LHR T5 has Blue passports in their hands
Oh dear
The ICIBI has commenced a monitoring review of ePassport gates
Page summary:The review will examine the Home Office’s progress against the recommendations made in the previous inspection report on ePassport gates (June 2020 – January 2021).
Change made:
First published.
Time updated:
4:34pm, 20 July 2022
Jul 21, 2022, 2:34 am
#235
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
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I have commented a few times upthread about this, but my guess is that in about three quarters of cases where people constantly have problems it's due to technique (pressing down passport correctly), followed by significant changes to face compared to photo in the passport. Beards, spectacles, hats. If you don't then clearly stare at the camera lens, ideally using a similar expression as used on the passport, then it's not surprising if you get rejected thanks to a blurred view of the side of your face.There is a knack to it, but you can see upthread that those FTers who go through the UK Border every week are not, on the whole, participants in this thread.
Jul 29, 2022, 3:21 am
#236
Join Date: Jul 2022
Programs: BA
Posts: 2
I've had 'seek assistance' ever since I got my latest (blue) passport. Same on every UK entry, tried the various techniques above. Chip is fine, works abroad. I've been asking border staff and get variations of nothing through to 'you have a common name' which I'm convinced is the official fob-off as is distinctly not true of my surname (only a few dozen of us in the country).
Contacted Passport office and got told to send it in for inspection (I haven't, I can see the chip is working fine, I need a passport).
Looking at other ideas - anyone tried a home office subject data request or an FOI to see if that reveals anything that might help?
Contacted Passport office and got told to send it in for inspection (I haven't, I can see the chip is working fine, I need a passport).
Looking at other ideas - anyone tried a home office subject data request or an FOI to see if that reveals anything that might help?
Jul 29, 2022, 3:38 am
#237
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Thames Valley
Programs: BAEC, LHM&M, and even a dusty KLFB!
Posts: 894
Am coming to this a bit late, but I always had problems with a former (red) passport of mine, until one day a Border Force agent told me there was sometimes an issue about the way the passports are made that can affect how the details page is read. He recommended that in future, instead of just opening the passport at the details page and holding that in the reader, I actually fold back the front cover so that it was JUST the details page that went into the reader, not that + the cover. Never had a problem with it being read after that, until it expired!
Jul 29, 2022, 10:59 am
#238
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: London, UK
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Posts: 1,309
I was told on sunday (not for the first time), my name was similar to someone border force were looking for and until that was resolved I would not be able to successfully use an E-gate. This has been the case all year now!!
Jul 29, 2022, 11:10 am
#239
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: Mucci; BAEC GGL; (In memoriam: KLM Flying Dutchman Royal Wing & FB Platinum Elite)
Posts: 188
I have commented a few times upthread about this, but my guess is that in about three quarters of cases where people constantly have problems it's due to technique (pressing down passport correctly), followed by significant changes to face compared to photo in the passport. Beards, spectacles, hats. If you don't then clearly stare at the camera lens, ideally using a similar expression as used on the passport, then it's not surprising if you get rejected thanks to a blurred view of the side of your face.There is a knack to it, but you can see upthread that those FTers who go through the UK Border every week are not, on the whole, participants in this thread.
Jul 29, 2022, 2:09 pm
#240
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 876
Just to add to this. There are many reasons a rejection takes place. Things like the chip as mentioned above, low score on the photo match, unable to read the MRZ, stop list, ineligibility for e-gates, security markings as well as manual intervention.
Also BF officers are not allowed to divulge the reasons for failure, consequently FOIA requests won't work and they should refuse to tell you when you ask them why the rejection took place.
Annoying if it keeps happening, but other than technique there isn't a lot you can do about it.
Also BF officers are not allowed to divulge the reasons for failure, consequently FOIA requests won't work and they should refuse to tell you when you ask them why the rejection took place.
Annoying if it keeps happening, but other than technique there isn't a lot you can do about it.