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ePassport gates have just been installed at Heathrow and Gatwick. This means that automated border controls are now in place at 15 transport terminals across the UK, including all the major airports. Find out what the new ePassport gates mean for you as a passenger.

Automated border controls

ePassport gates can be a quicker and more convenient way of getting through passport control.

The gates work by using facial recognition technology to compare your face to the photograph recorded on the ‘chip’ in your passport.

Your details are also checked against the full range of UK Border Agency systems - just as if they were seen by an officer.

Once the checks are made, the gates open automatically for you to walk through.

With their recent installation at Heathrow and Gatwick, ePassport gates can now be found at all major UK airports.

These include; Birmingham Terminals 1&2, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Gatwick North & South, Luton, Manchester Terminals 1&2, Heathrow T1, T3, T4, and T5 and Stansted.

So far over 4.5 million people have used the gates since the first gates went live at Manchester Airport in 2008.

Who can use the ePassport gates?

You don’t have to register to use the new ePassport gates.

You must however be a UK, European Union or European Economic Area citizen and have a ‘chipped’ biometric passport.

If you have a 'chipped' biometric passport it will have the symbol on the picture to the left and will have been issued from 2006 onwards.

You must also be aged 18 or over, unless otherwise stated on airport signs.

Further information

For further information on ePassport gates, visit the UK Border Agency website by following the link below.

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