ePassports

Manxman_in_exile

What information is held on the chip in an ePassport? I noticed a government link on the other thread about travel to the US and that link refers to finger prints. I've got an ePassport but I've never ever had my fingerprints taken, so what information does it contain? If it's just facial features and eye colour, what does it add to the photo?


The chip in my passport is also very obvious (on the page reserved for official observations) but on my wife's passport it's not evident at all. Is this just because of technical improvements in "embedding" the chip in the passport?

George_Michael

The chip only contains facial recognition information (such as distance between your eyes, distance between eyes and mouth etc). There is no fingerprint information on there.


The reason for the stored data is to enable the passport holder to use the e-passport gates at airports where you simply place your passport in an electronic reader and then stand in front of a camera. The software will read the biometric info from the chip and compare it to the data received from the camera and if the two match, the gate will open.


I've just had a look at the link in the other thread and whilst it does mention fingerprints, this is only to explain what biometric data is. Further down the page it states what biometric info is stored on the chip on UK issued passports and this doesn't include fingerprint data.

Manxman_in_exile

Thanks GM. That makes sense

knightstyle

Just to add. At Stansted it is much quicker to go through the old manned gates than to queue for ages at the epassport gates which have just two staff, several closed gates and the others reject about half the people using them!
That was on last Monday evenings evidence, I know I was there for 25 mins whilst friends went through the manned gate in about 3 mins and wondered if we had been arrested!

Misty_Blue

knightstyle wrote: »

Just to add. At Stansted it is much quicker to go through the old manned gates than to queue for ages at the epassport gates which have just two staff, several closed gates and the others reject about half the people using them!
That was on last Monday evenings evidence, I know I was there for 25 mins whilst friends went through the manned gate in about 3 mins and wondered if we had been arrested!

Same here at various airports including Heathrow and Manchester. They NEVER work for me. I prefer to go through a manned gate.

shaun_from_Africa

I have 2 passports, (due to dual citizenship) one works every time when using the electronic gates at Gatwick and the other one has about a 50/50 work rate.

Manxman_in_exile

The other peculiarity with my passport (a British Islands - Isle of Man one) is that the personal ID information is at the back rather than the front (like my wife's UK one).


The first time I tried to get through an electronic gate it kept on being rejected and I was beginning to worry I was about to be hauled off for questioning!


I then looked at my passport and realised that although I was inserting it into the reader as per the diagram, because it was "back to front", the reader was scanning the page opposite the one it was meant to.

SW17

knightstyle wrote: »

Just to add. At Stansted it is much quicker to go through the old manned gates than to queue for ages at the epassport gates which have just two staff, several closed gates and the others reject about half the people using them!
That was on last Monday evenings evidence, I know I was there for 25 mins whilst friends went through the manned gate in about 3 mins and wondered if we had been arrested!

This is the man reason I hardly use Stansted, though last week it was pretty clear (for once). The reason that some gates are closed is to do with the number of staff there looking at the pictures. The eGates at UK airports don't compare the passport and the photo automatically, there is someone manually looking at a screen who opens the gate. Each person can only handle so many gates at a time.

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

The other peculiarity with my passport (a British Islands - Isle of Man one) is that the personal ID information is at the back rather than the front (like my wife's UK one).


The first time I tried to get through an electronic gate it kept on being rejected and I was beginning to worry I was about to be hauled off for questioning!


I then looked at my passport and realised that although I was inserting it into the reader as per the diagram, because it was "back to front", the reader was scanning the page opposite the one it was meant to.

Older current UK passports (like mine issued in 2007) have the photo page at the back, a few years ago they changed it again so that the photo page is at the front.

It's important to hold the photo page down very flat against the reader.

BrentMeister

SW17 wrote: »

The eGates at UK airports don't compare the passport and the photo automatically, there is someone manually looking at a screen who opens the gate. Each person can only handle so many gates at a time.

Thats not true.

For every 5 e-gates, you have two Officers. One monitors the screen of cameras for people entering the e-gates and the other officer deals with people that have been rejected.

The system is automatic, that is, if the software can confirm you match your image the gate will open. If this dosent, the officer moinitoring the e-gate system can either approve or reject. If he rejects you, you have to go to the e-gate referral desk and have your passport checked the usual way.

Roger1

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

... finger prints ...

Assuming conformity with international standards, there is space for fingerprints, so it seems that the UK doesn't require them.

As a dual national, I have two passports. The second (European) one has my fingerprints in the chip. They were taken during a visit to the London embassy.

Asking about them, I was told that they provide quick identity confirmation in emergencies. Apparently this was especially useful after the tsunami.

Yolina

Roger1 wrote: »

The second (European) one has my fingerprints in the chip.

Yep, I'm a French passport holder and my fingerprints are part of the info stored on the chip.