New passport procedures

[cja]

Have been hearing one or two horror stories in respect of new passport checking changes being imposed.......have heard of one guy spending 11/2 hrs in a queue!   

It seems that there will be 3 separate checks - UK border agency, French Customs & the ferry operator - with all biometric passports being scanned. Whether this means they are scanned on 3 separate occasions, I really don't know.

Has anyone else heard similar? I know these aren't due to come into force until after Easter, but I can see the need to allow for a lot of extra time to get through the gates, as I fear that any excuse to hold us all up will be welcomed by our French allies......... 

[Bruichladdich Boy]

Yes, the useless bureaucrats and their conniving political masters will bring chaos to the ferries. Exactly what benefit they are trying to achieve for the amount of disruption that will be caused is unclear.....but who cares about the taxpayer.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/11474312/Drivers-face-five-mile-queues-for-ferries.html

[Kristof]

When I booked the Eurotunnel to get to Silverstone, I had to provide all my passport or identity card details afterwards. 
Hope they won't have too many cues at the tunnel on Sunday evening. 

The UK government have introduced Exit Checks at all ports and airports from 1st April 2015. This requires Eurotunnel Le Shuttle to gather information on the identity of every person leaving the country, at their point of departure, and pass this information securely to UK Border Force.
In order to comply with this new legislation, you will need to provide us with your passport or identity card details in advance of your travel to the Continent to speed up your journey through our Folkestone terminal. You can provide us with your Advance Passenger Information (API) by logging to your booking online, or visit www.eurotunnel.com/apis/

Prepaid for Dartford crossing too, don't want to get a £70 fine for that one.

[Lorry]

I don't understand any of this, because they still let everybody in and out, just slower.  And Calais docks are still full strange people gaffer taping themselves to the bottom of lorries

API has been with the airlines a couple of years.  It all seems to be a pointless data capture exercise.

[Jason]

Basically, if you want to be naughty, do it high season when the queues are massive and hide in the crowd. The article feels like it is scaremongering, what additional information will they be checking? We already have to show passports at checkin. So, do we need to arrive 2 hours before now?

[Barry]

Another half baked idea which will not stop illegals or terrorists arriving /leaving the country, and will just inconvenience law abiding citizens. 

[cja]

Basically, if you want to be naughty, do it high season when the queues are massive and hide in the crowd. The article feels like it is scaremongering, what additional information will they be checking? We already have to show passports at checkin. So, do we need to arrive 2 hours before now?

The 2hr thing is my fear......according to some reports, there could be 3 separate checks and the Eurotunnel people say all coach parties have to disembark to have their passports individually checked, which will be the case with ferries, too!

It sounds like a real recipe, for a major disaster 

[Barry]

Eurotunnel being very bullish about not having to turn up any earlier.
Ferry operators at Dover less so.
Only 25% being checked at the moment, rising to 50%, then 100% just before LM.   

Am travelling to France by tunnel at the end of the month, will report back.

[Grand_Fromage]

I could be wrong, but aren't the border agency just doing the same checks as they would normally do when entering the country. It doesn't seem much of a hold-up coming back to Blighty so I don't anticipate it being as bad as people fear.

...but as I said, I could be wrong.

[Barry]

Dover was a PIA coming back anyway, have waited in a queue for 45 minutes just to get through the customs area. That's why I have stopped using it.

[Lorry]

I'm flying to Jersey.

There's none of this cr@p and you get duty free 

[cja]

Eurotunnel say they are enforcing API procedures......... bound to cause more issues with those who a) don't know about it, or b) can't be arsed

http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/traveller-info/latest/

Hopefully this is just scaremongering! 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/11474312/Drivers-face-five-mile-queues-for-ferries.html

[Kristof]

Went back home on Sunday after the race. 
Just had to show my ID-card, and drove straight through.  Literally took me less than 1 minute.

It was at 10pm, so pretty late and not much traffic at the Eurotunnel.  Guess it could be a pain in the *ss when it gets pretty busy down there.

[Stu]

Went back home on Sunday after the race. 
Just had to show my ID-card, and drove straight through.  Literally took me less than 1 minute.

It was at 10pm, so pretty late and not much traffic at the Eurotunnel.  Guess it could be a pain in the *ss when it gets pretty busy down there.

Just out of interest, did you use the dartford crossing and if so what did you do about paying?

[Kristof]

Went back home on Sunday after the race.  
Just had to show my ID-card, and drove straight through.  Literally took me less than 1 minute.

It was at 10pm, so pretty late and not much traffic at the Eurotunnel.  Guess it could be a pain in the *ss when it gets pretty busy down there.

Just out of interest, did you use the dartford crossing and if so what did you do about paying?

Made an online account and prepaid £10.  I have to use Dartford Crossing everytime when we're going to a West Ham game, prepaid is the cheapest option then.