E-Passports: Face Recognition on Entering UK

Returning through LTN yesterday evening I noticed first signs for, and then the machines for, an E-Passport facility. It seems that if you have a chipped passport you'll enter these machines, the chip on your passport will be read and face recognition software will then compare the real you with the virtual you.

Until the majority have chipped passport I suppose it may save some time, but given that it looked as if four machines would be monitored by one agent is it an attempt at cost saving?

Paul

BRS have had these for a while. However on my recent journeys they've either been out of order or they've been turned off (hence the queue for border control is out of the door) so I've no idea how user friendly they are.
DL

... is it an attempt at cost saving?

Paul

Probbaly a bit of cost saving - why have people do a job when a machine can do it but it also meand the agents can then concentrate on those with nn-EU passports.

Is this different from the iris recognition system at LHR?

Is this different from the iris recognition system at LHR?

I think it is. This is available to anyone to anyone with a chipped passport and there is no need to preregister.

Non UK nationals are now being finger printed as well or at least Mrs F was last week.

I used this system at Gatwick last month, seemed ok, beat the lines aswell, you hold the photo page face down on the scanner then move forward to be scanned and then the magic doors open, v nice.

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Does that mean you now have the choice of IRS or this face recognition system at LHR and Gatwick then?

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Does that mean you now have the choice of IRS or this face recognition system at LHR and Gatwick then?

I imagine that as more and more chipped passports are issued then IRIS will be phased out as 'old' technology.

The fingerprinting of non-EU nationals (as happened to Mrs iforres1 is part of the e-borders system)

If you apply for a visa to enter the UK in many countries they take your finger prints and these would be matched with the arrival person to clamp down on illegal immegration.

Thanks tb. I'll check out both systems in July.
At least it sounds as if they are trying to do more regarding II's getting into the country.