[Anonymous]

[Swissdiver]

Today I went to register to PARAFE of the French border authorities (PAF), as I had to do for instance in Germany (but not in the UK!). This is to be able to use the automatic gates when immigrating. When I asked the officer why I had to do it, he told me “because only the Swiss authorities (given my handle, I guess this won’t be a surprise) can match the chip with your fingerprints”. Now this actually makes sense given how the Swiss data are managed. But it also trigger a question:

Why on earth do we need a biometric passport when we travel if no authorities other than the ones at home can read the data?

[JKL]

I was pleasantly surprised on arriving in Australia recently to be told by the immigration officer that, as a British citizen with a biometric passport, I could have used their e-gates rather than queue up. Shame the message on the arrival video on the plane was that only Australian and New Zealand citizens could do this, but good to know for next time. I guess it’s down to each country and how much they choose to integrate their systems and/or share data with others?

[Chistery]

Don’t the e-gates work by scanning the passport page and using this to unencrypt the details on the NFC chip? Something anyone with a smartphone and access to your passport can do? The e-gate then checks the image on the chip with the photo it takes and decides to let you in? This would mean no data would have to be shared between the UK and AU.

Is it only in the UK that the e-gates require someone to approve the photo match? Seems to defeat the purpose of e-gates if it requires someone to perform a manual check of each photo. (When passing through the e-gates at LHR T5 for example, look back and there’s someone sat checking the photos manually)

[PeterCoultas]

recent experience shows how out of date and useless is the uk border agency – had problems entering at Heathrow (a domestic flight) when was told to “seek assistance” – the reason became clear later before boarding when the agent showed me the computer screen – a picture of someone 30 years younger than me with different eye & hair colour – HOW DO THEY GET IT SO WRONG!

[DavidGordon10]

Both my UK biometric passports fail in UK gates every time, but succeed in other EU passport gates more than 95% of the time.

[Swissdiver]

Chistery,

According to the French officer, no, the machines cannot read the chip, this is why registration is compulsory.

[SergeantMajor]

Why can’t the machines read the chips? You couldn’t make it up!

[MartynSinclair]

The passport readers at Gatwick north terminal appear faster and more competent than those in T5… I presume they are different..

[MarkCymru]

The (very nice and approachable) French official managing the queue at CDG a couple of months ago told me that there are old chips and new chips. The very latest British passports (the ones with the photo page at the beginning) have the newest chips and can be read by French e-gates; the older ones cannot. I have no idea if he was right — I was so stunned to find someone friendly, efficient and helpful working in a large airport that I couldn’t really think straight anyway.

As usual, it seems, our authorities are playing catch up to the rest of Europe.

[LuganoPirate]

Gosh, old chips and new ones. I feel antiquated, I still have just the machine readable passports, no chips at all yet!

Does anyone still have a valid British old blue passport?

[LuganoPirate]

When you apply for a Swiss pp Swissdiver, do you now have to give your fingerprints? Does the same apply for other nations biometric passports?

[MartynSinclair]

LP it was my late father’s birthday yesterday (88) and I always get sentimental and go through certain items in “Dad’s drawer”.

At the top, remain his old style passport filled in by hand and with rubber stamps for the expiry date and other data points….

Would there be any of these old style passports still be valid today….?

[Swissdiver]

LP: flingerprint and photo (the later being a regular one, I think).

[LuganoPirate]

I also get sentimental Martyn, and our fathers would have been roughly the same age. Oh for the days of handwritten passports and tea with the Consul while it was being prepared. We have not moved on for the better I think.

SwissDiver. I’ll wear my shirt with the large horizontal stripes for the occasion 😉

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