Automated Border Control FRA
 

I would like to sign up for the automated border control at FRA. Am I correct in assuming that this will work with a German Personalausweis (national ID)?

Anything else to consider (besides what is written on the website of the automated border control)?

SmilingBoy.

Don't you need the passport for this ?
(I haven't signed up, as I hardly ever start my trips from FRA thesedays)

You are not.

You'll need a machine-readable passport. Your ID card is not sufficient (as it is not sufficient if you leave the EU).

Cheers.

I don't know. The English version of the page talks about passport, the German version about "Reisedokument", and different types of "Reisedokument". ID card is not especially stated.

SmilingBoy.

I would argue that the Personalausweis is not primarily a travel document but more of an idenfication document. The passport however would be primarily a travel document.

The hardware they use is set up to deal with passports, not ID cards.

The ID (Personalausweis) wouldn't really make sense... It must be the Reisepass...

Thanks, I guess I'll take both my ID card and my passport with me. But note that I can fly from FRA to LHR with just my ID card, and even if flying outside Europe (or for the quick walk to the B SEN lounge from the B Schengen gates), I always only show my ID card when at a European (especially German) border control.

Thanks to the others as well. This makes it less helpful to me as I often only travel with an ID card.

SmilingBoy.

i use it regularly, since when it was first installed. you need to register your passport for it, they dont accept ID cards.

You need a passport. This service is for all passengers, not only for germans.

I am (Austrian) also registered and it works very fine for me.

Pasport is mandatory. Here is the link

http://www.bundespolizei.de/cln_029/...html__nnn=true

Passport, it will not even work with BPA ("Bundespersonalausweis") as this is a question of abiliy to scan this dokuments. BPA's are scannable, but not for this sort of thing - do not aks me any details, but this is what I was told by somebody from the IT Department of the BMI.

Registration is at the BGS office near LH's First Class / Business Class Check In Area.

That's not quite true. The service is for all passengers who have an EU citizenship. Non-EU citizens are not eligible for automated passport control.

And I can confirm that they will only accept passports, I specifically asked about my Personalausweis when I signed up and they said the system couldn't handle it.

And that's not quite true, either. ;) Swiss citizens can take part in the program as well.

Only works with Passport

Thanks everyone. Will definitely take my passport tomorrow. This will be helpful as my Schengen flight leaves at gate B12 tomorrow, so I can use the automated control to get from the SEN lounge in B to the Schengen B gates. Correct? (And is this the best lounge to be at if you want to stay there as long as possible - I will have a conference call that I hope I won't need to cut short.)

SmilingBoy.

You have to pass the security control again, when you enter the Schengen-Gates. So, don´t stay to long in the lounge .....

Hm. But it shouldn't be too bad tomorrow afternoon at 16:00, right? The walk from A26 is very long as well though. Let's see, I might just run for the earlier flight to INN and take the call from the hotel at Innsbruck. And do the automated border control sign-up some other time.

SmilingBoy.

This isn't about LH or M&M so I'll move to Germany forum.

Kiwi Flyer
LH moderator

If I am already signed up with the US-Global Entry program it looks as it has a partnership with the ABG+ program? Is this true? If so, how do I use it on entry into FRA?

You won't be able to use it the first time you go to Frankfurt. After arrival, go to the office of the Bundespolizei in Terminal 1, Area A, near the Lufthansa First Class check-in area. Thy are open every day from 6:30 am until 9;30 pm, according to their website. There, you can sign up and have your biometric parameters recorded. I was told you need to bring not only your passport, but also your Global Entry card, which you got when you were approved for Global Entry. I have't yet applied, because my Global Entry membership is about to expire, and I want to renew that before applying for the German version, which runs in parallel.

The good news is, the German version is free...

I"m only through FRA once or twice a year... but it may be worth doing on my next inbound. It works for outbound as well then?

Frankfurt is now using Easypass (www.easypass.de) for the automated border control, which is also available at other airports.

There are several press reports available:
http://www.fr-online.de/frankfurt/fl...,27550230.html

http://fraport.mediasites.tv/detail/277.html

Is the Frankfurt enrollment center airside or landside?

Automated Border Control FRA
 

Landside and you do not need to be enrolled in GE. All US and HKSAR passport holders are eligible for enrollment.

Thank you that is most helpful

Has anyone here from the US applied for this and have experience on the question related to travel insurance for Schengen?

Most US health insurance (at least what I've had) covers you outside of the US as well, making travel insurance (except possibly evacuation insurance) redundant.

Did they just ask for proof of coverage outside the US? Easier to buy some single trip coverage so I can answer yes, because at the point of time, I do have it?

US and HKG citizens have to fill a form to enroll with EasyPass-RTP that has the following question:

More here: http://www.easypass.de/EasyPass/EN/E.../rtp_node.html

As oliver2002 pointed out, it was just a Y/N question. No documentation needed at all other than a US or HKSAR passport.

Can anyone tell me what the point of getting EasyPASS access is for US citizens? From what I'm reading online, US citizens will be shown a special icon in the e-gate which will force you to wait for someone to come open the gate for you and then you still have to get your passport stamped.

So the only thing I see this saving is possibly 10 seconds waiting in line for an officer to scan your passport and still stamp it.

I go through FRA a lot and I currently have 4 connections through there planned in the next 4 weeks between US-Europe and Europe-Asia as well. I have plenty of time on my first connection through FRA to leave the secure area and sign up for the program. I just don't see a real point if I'm still going to need my passport stamped and I've never once seen a line more than 2 minutes long to see an immigration official.

My goal of this would be to either a) save a lot of time; b) save a lot of pages in my already almost full passport. It doesn't seem to do either.

Thanks in advance,
RM

It's also valid at other airports and cuts down on waiting in the 'all passports' line which can get quite long at peaks.

RobOnLI,

It's good you never seen a long queue in the non-EU line. However, I've experienced 10-20 minutes wait at FRA and DUS before.

Was leaving Germany in FRA T2 two months ago.

They now have four eGates installed in the All Passport queue and these eGates are available to passport holders of certain non-EU countries (US included). Unlike easyPass-RTP, no prior enrollment and background check required.