Passporrt chip broken

joncombe

I renewed my passport around 18 months ago. On flying home a little over a week ago I used my passport in the automated reader at the airport for my return flight which worked fine (as it always has before). At the end of the flight on arriving at Gatwick I was directed to use the automated readers, as I have done before. But my passport wouldn't read. The person checked I was doing it right and made me try 3 times to be sure. When this also didn't work I was directed to another gate to try again 3 times there. When this also didn't work I was then directed to the manual passport check where the lady scanning my passport informed the chip was broken.

As it had worked when getting on the flight and had only been in my pocket since then this was a bit of a surprise (it was only a short haul flight) but she said the chip in the passport can snap easily. I was told that it was still valid for travel and would be accepted, but the lack of a working chip might be an issue if I wanted to travel to the US.

I have since phoned the passport office and the advise is that it would now need a working chip if I wanted to travel to the US but it is not an issue to travel with it elsewhere in the world (yet!). They told me that I would need to apply for a new passport, send in new photos (and pay again) and return my current passport with it. They would check it. If it was found that my existing passport is faulty a new passport would be issued for the remaining validity of my existing passport and the charge refunded. If it was not faulty but had been damanged, I would be issued a new 10 year passport but would not be be refunded the fee. I was advised this can take up to 10 weeks, so would be without a passport for that time (though I suspect this is worst case).

I am surprised that a passport can be so easily damaged as just in my pocket for the duration of a short flight (less than 2 hours) in a normal seat. I've seen some get a good whack with visas being stamped in, after all! It is otherwise in good condition, no bent corners, no water damage etc.

I am tempted therefore to just keep my existing passport (I have no plans at present to travel to the US), but my concern is that there will be a move to more e-gates and less manual gates, so I will face longer queues than now when trying to get through passport control. There is also the concern that if the US requires a working chip other countries might follow suit. Any advice?

eDicky

In your situation I would not send it in yet, but continue traveling with it and try it in the e-gates of other countries to see if it's truly non-functional. If so, when I was sure I would not need my passport for ten weeks I might send it in to be checked and replaced, but not in any hurry. I am confident that there will always (or at least for the foreseeable future) be the possibility to used manned gates everywhere, except for the USA visa waiver program requirement of functioning RFID chip passport (maybe also Canada soon). There may sometimes be a longer wait to pass through the manned gate, sometimes not...

shaun_from_Africa

I fly into Gatwick about 14 times each year and usually try to go through the e-gates. I would estimate that in the past 18 months, my passport has failed to scan on at least 5 or 6 occasions and I ended up going through the manual inspection.

I've also seen many other people having the same problem so it may well be nothing to do with your passport.

Westin

+1 on shaun from Africa's post.

Those e-gates at Gatwick are notoriously bad and often problematic. The staff that supervise them are I believe tempary agency staff and seem to have little clue themselves as to working and solving issues with the gates. Unless it was a Board Agency staff member who checked, scanned and then told you that your passport chip was faulty then I'm not sure that I would necessarily believe the fault was with the passport over those e-gates. I would try the passport again on your next trip through arrivals.

agrinnall

Although I haven't had any problem at e-gates myself I flew from Brussels yesterday and I noticed that a few people were having issues there (although the staff appeared to be quite switched on and were quick to offer assistance).

joncombe

Westin wrote: »

+1 on shaun from Africa's post.

Those e-gates at Gatwick are notoriously bad and often problematic. The staff that supervise them are I believe tempary agency staff and seem to have little clue themselves as to working and solving issues with the gates. Unless it was a Board Agency staff member who checked, scanned and then told you that your passport chip was faulty then I'm not sure that I would necessarily believe the fault was with the passport over those e-gates. I would try the passport again on your next trip through arrivals.

Yes unfortunately when I was taken to the manual check the lady there was border agency who checked and tried to scan it and told me it was the chip that was broken. But it is good advise to try again next time I am travelling before doing anything, which is what I'll do.

HappyMJ

If you've got yourself a smart phone with NFC (most modern phones do) then you can download an app that can read the chip and verify it is working as it should.

If the phone can read the chip then it's not your passport that is faulty. The reader at the airport may not have been able to read it on the day.

I would therefore not replace it.

peachyprice

It seems a bit silly to fork out for a new passport that is only needed for somewhere you have no plans to visit. If you do decide to go there renew it then, otherwise just carry on using it.

The manned desks are often quicker to get through than the automatic gates anyway.

HHarry

Are the US authorities really going to stick you on the first plane home if your passport won't scan via the chip? There's no simple way to check the function of the chip before leaving the UK, and even if you could there'll always be the chance of failure on arrival.

Only accepting e-passports may allow them to reduce manning, or increase throughput with e-gates, but they'll have to have a backup function for when the technology fails.

gettingtheresometime

HHarry wrote: »

Are the US authorities really going to stick you on the first plane home if your passport won't scan via the chip? There's no simple way to check the function of the chip before leaving the UK, and even if you could there'll always be the chance of failure on arrival.

Only accepting e-passports may allow them to reduce manning, or increase throughput with e-gates, but they'll have to have a backup function for when the technology fails.

Can I not volunteer to see if your theory works?

The US authorities can be called cantankerous on a good day as it is

HHarry

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

Can I not volunteer to see if your theory works?

The US authorities can be called cantankerous on a good day as it is

Sorry Gettingthere,

You've been picked at random. Here's a duff passport, get on that plane!