Up In The Air

I possess two valid UK passports. I can use both of these passports without problem (exit and entry) any electronic gate anywhere I’ve tried them – except at UK immigration! They just don’t work at the UK electronic gates – at all. Whenever I’ve asked a Border Force agent, the reply has always been that the chips are perfectly good, and ‘should’ work in the UK electronic gates (but they don’t – I just have to join the ‘manual’ queue).

I’ve never been the wrong side of the law, and can’t think why I should remotely be on any sort of watch list.

Can any fellow FT’er suggest what might be the problem – and if there might be any chance of putting it right by getting in touch with the passport office?

Many thanks,

Up In The Air

UKtravelbear

you already know what to do so do it and that is to contact the passport office.

Up In The Air

I was wondering if anyone else in our community had had a similar experience and could maybe offer any specific advice that might help. (Eg. No chance: don't bother; 'phone this number etc.)

UKtravelbear

specific advice - contact the passport office! Detailed easily googled in the time it took for you to post.

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...ssport-readers

jerry a. laska

Also see:
New UK Passport Faulty non functioning chip

TomMM

I have the opposite problem. My passport works at UK gates but not the electronic gates at FRA.

Up In The Air

Thanks for the link, but as expected – and frankly the reason why I posted on this site rather than googling a link – the passport office conflates 'failure to read the chip' with 'faulty chip', which is almost definitely not the case here, as I have two valid passports, both of which behave in exactly the same way.

I'll give the passport office a buzz on Monday, but expect to be funnelled down the 'faulty chip; replacement passport(s)' route, which I shall resist.

LondonElite

geometry

well... what happens if you scan the passport's RFID chip with your phone? I use a free app called "ReadID NFC Passport Reader" from the Google Play Store. It shows me my photo and passport data as embeded in the chip.

Up In The Air

Ooh, that's belittling!

I didn't really intend to annoy fellow community members by posting ostensibly stupid posts. I was wondering if there might be database issue somewhere, and if any fellow FT'ers might have had a similar experience and could provide some insight. I have two valid passports, so it seems unfeasible that it's a faulty chip problem – so replacing them with new ones is unlikely to resolve the problem.

Yes, I'll contact the passport office and see what they say (and hope they're not grumpy.)

LondonElite

I wasn't intending to belittle (my wife says I do this occasionally), sorry if it sounded like that.

I really do think that the only help you can get is at the PO. I'm thinking of at least one other thread where this was discussed (I believe the one linked above).

Up In The Air

No worries. Many thanks.

jamesn00

Interesting - I tried using ReadID NFC Passport reader. I've never tried one of the e-gates as I'm normally travelling with my kids and they can't use them but will be going through heathrow next month so will get a chance to try it out.

My passport shows Chip Authentication: Not Present whereas my kid's passports show Chip authentication: Succeeded
Both are British passports but their's are newer. Will I be able to use the e-gates?

dddc

Bizzare reference point - does your passport have a yellow sticker in it saying "Please remove this label"? I left mine in and I was only getting 50% success rate at the UK e-gates (fine elsewhere though). Since I've removed it I've had no problems!! It could just be entirely a coincidence but thought I'd mention it.

GregWTravels

When I first got my UK passport, it didn't work in the gates for the first five or six times. I did the same, and asked the agent if anything was wrong or I needed to do anything? She said the chip was fine, and it was just either me not inserting right or random chance.

After that, it's worked every time in the e-gates. I've not done anything differently, but just started working. I have no explanation, but did want to share to say someone has gone through a similar issue.