Passport developments

From the 'safe conducts' of the early 15th century to the biometric facial recognition systems of the 21st century, passports and passport technology are constantly developing.

Automated passport control gates

The first facial recognition gates in the UK were installed by the UK Border Agency at Manchester and Stansted airports in 2008. By March 2009 nearly 200,000 travellers had already used this convenient, secure, self-service border crossing.

Although automated passport control systems have existed for a while, most of these have relied on: pre-registration; the use of an additional token, such as a card; paying a fee; or having your iris or fingerprint scanned. In 2007, a new type of gate began to appear in Europe  – and all you needed was a biometric passport.

If you are aged 18 or over and have a British or a European Economic Area (EEA) biometric passport (that is one with the biometric passport symbol on the front cover), there are a growing number of opportunities for you to use the new automated gates to pass through borders.

How to use automated gates:

• there will be a video or a poster display showing how to use the gates, so take a moment to study them before you use the gates for the first time
• when looking into the camera please do remove your hat and any sunglasses or other glasses/spectacles, and do not cover your face or use a mobile phone or other electronic device
• do not be concerned if you cannot use the gates easily first time - the gate assistant will direct you