Australian passports can now be used at UK airport e-passport gates
By Chris C., May 21 2019
UPDATE: 21 MAY 2019 | Australian travellers can now swipe their passports at the automated e-passport gates of all UK airports, bypassing the slow and snaking lines for the staffed immigration desks – a move which will be especially welcome when it comes to beating the morning queues at London's busy Heathrow hub.
Also on the fast-track list are visitors from New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Canada and the USA.
Although the streamlined system was due to take effect around June, the UK government opened its e-passport gates to travellers from all seven countries overnight.
No special advance registration is needed to use the e-passport gates at UK airports, as well as the Eurostar rail terminals at St Pancras and Ebbsfleet International.
The UK is also scrapping landing cards for all passengers – not just those who come through the e-passport gates.
PREVIOUS | All Australian passport holders will be able to skip the often-lengthy immigration queues at United Kingdom airports from next year with the UK Government opening its ePassport lanes to Australian travellers, along with those from New Zealand, the USA, Canada and Japan.
Set to come online by “next summer” – that’s June 2019 in the UK – the development will largely make the UK’s paid Registered Traveller scheme redundant for Australians, as access to the ePassport channels on arrival in the UK, particularly at London Heathrow, is the program’s biggest perk.
Currently, free use of the ePassport lanes is a privilege reserved for UK and EU/EEA passport holders, as Australians who are regular UK visitors can pay a fee of approximately $122 in the first year to join Registered Traveller to access the ePassport channels, and $87 to renew for a further 12 months.
Once the changes take effect next year, Aussies would no longer require a paid Registered Traveller membership to breeze through the ePassport lanes: it’d simply be free.
Under today’s system, passengers eligible for the ePassport lanes – including Australians enrolled in the Registered Traveller scheme – don’t need to complete a UK landing card, and if those arrangements continue next year, it’ll be another welcome change for Aussie travellers.
The changes were detailed by the United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, during a budget statement given to the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster in London on Monday.
“I can announce a package of measures to stimulate business investment and send a message loud and clear to the rest of the world: Britain is open for business,” said the Chancellor.
“We’ll open the use of ePassport gates at Heathrow and other airports … currently only available to EEA nationals … to include visitors from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.”
In the meantime, however, Australian travellers who have visited the UK at least four times in the past 24 months can continue to make use of Registered Traveller to skip the queues at UK passport control.
Read:
- Skip those London passport queues with a UK Registered Traveller card
- Speed through Dubai passport control with Smart Gate registration
- Singapore's Frequent Traveller Program eases sign-up rules
- How to zip through Hong Kong Airport passport control
Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 688
Whilst there is no question that this is a highly welcome news item for Australian travellers, it is simply a case of "give with one hand and take with the other".
In Hammond's same speech, he announced that the British APD (Airline Passenger Duty) Tax will rise for all long-haul flights - which will undoubtedly be passed on to Australian travellers, whilst retaining the current short-haul tax by way of a 'cap'.
So, it's a small win for convenience - and a large cash 'boo' for travellers and airlines on long-haul.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
APD only increasing by rate of inflation for longhaul. £2 for economy, £4 for premium cabins.
03 May 2013
Total posts 684
Still, it's the best possible news for an Aussie using LHR frequently! Well done UK Government. Those wait times, even in Fast Track were horrendous more often than not.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Sep 2017
Total posts 164
Welcome news. LHR passport control is a pain.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Jun 2012
Total posts 58
I'm a paid Registered Traveller (AU passport now living in the UK) so this is good news for me.
05 May 2016
Total posts 616
They are important allies and trading partners.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Jun 2012
Total posts 58
I suppose so. But with all these people now eligible to access the UK using the ePassport lanes, won't it simply slow it down and defeat the purpose.
07 Oct 2012
Total posts 1250
It may not necessarily be about making things quicker for you. It may be about making things quicker for those who will still need manual passport control or allowing some staff reallocation or reduction. They may also just add some extra machines before bringing on the new countries, to deal with the issue you've highlighted.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Jun 2012
Total posts 58
I'm still waiting for the "Pegasus Only" machine... :)
04 Dec 2013
Total posts 156
First world countries, low risk of overstaying.
13 May 2013
Total posts 6
I doubt it has anything to do with the Commonwealth, more likely these governments have existing citizen data-sharing agreements with the UK?
03 Nov 2015
Total posts 10
This is excellent news, I was going to join the Registered Traveller scheme but won't bother now! Also, this will mean less stamps in my passport which is good since the Govt no longer issues those extra-thick frequent traveller passports.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
This is great news for Aussies, although the lines for the epassport gates are about to get a lot longer with the addition of all these countries plus - expectedly - the EU member states who will get preferetial status unless there is a hard brexit.
09 Jul 2012
Total posts 25
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Jun 2017
Total posts 77
Came into LHR T4 on Sunday morning around 5 from the Malaysian flight looking forward to using my Registered Traveller status for the first time. ePassport gates were closed as it was early but had a very friendly immigration officer put yet another UK stamp in my passport for me. Was still the quickest I have ever been through.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Jul 2015
Total posts 219
My GB passport had expired and so ended up in the aliens line for 90 mins once and fast track for 20 mins last week. Welcome news and recognises what we have here for GB travellers
05 Mar 2012
Total posts 26
Funny that they don't make a fuss if a British citizen enters on a foreign passport. Do that in Australia and they get very upset with you...
05 Mar 2012
Total posts 26
"'next summer” – that’s June 2019 in the UK'. Summer is only one month in the UK? Oh wait ... that's probably true!
13 Feb 2015
Total posts 70
Hopefully the ePassport gates at Heathrow work better than the ones at Sydney. Failed for me coming back into the country last weekend. And judging by the queue I was then asked to join, I wasn't the only one for whom they didn't work...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
24 Apr 2013
Total posts 57
Fabulous news - thanks Chris. Any news about whether Aussies can use Global Entry or eGates in the USA?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jan 2015
Total posts 70
Great news.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Jul 2015
Total posts 219
The LHR queue for the QF1 arrival is a nightmare. So great news.
07 Jul 2017
Total posts 1
Interesting to see if E gate or Fast Track will be quicker. Hopefully some more feedback on that soon. I always pick the wrong lane!
29 Feb 2016
Total posts 28
Used e-Gate on Wed at heathrow T2, all good, well signed, no queue etc, bu had to try 2 gates before my passport was accepted, ditto Mrs Tasclean with a brand new passport. The LHR readers mite be in trial mode, so expect the odd ‘unable to process, see staff’ refusal message..
Etihad - Etihad Guest
24 Apr 2013
Total posts 2
Had paid for the service for the past few years … a great time saver. The reverse was true last night (May 23), where the line for the e-gates at T2 at Heathrow were much slower than the staffed gates. I elected to go via the staffed gates, and was through in a few minutes. Interesting, Ethiopian Airlines did not provide landing cards, but returning from Germany in the evening Brussels Airlines was still handing them out.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Aug 2014
Total posts 72
It at applying to Gatwick also?
Etihad - Etihad Guest
24 May 2019
Total posts 1
Chris, we are leaving for Paris tomorrow and Eurostar to London a few days later. You mentioned using the smart-gate machines at St Pancras ( ? For exit, as you clear entry at Gare du Nord). Any idea if the UK will install smart-gates at Gare du Nord, otherwise the new arrangements don’t really help?
05 Oct 2017
Total posts 526
What about EU passport holders? Am assuming they can just breeze through? I ask because I happen to be a dual citizen. Although I've never been to the UK before, when I do go I would be entering on my EU passport, not my Australian one.
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