 Poster: A snowHead
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As an aside, if they move to more harmonisation on food exports, can we go back to taking bacon sarnie on Le Shuttle!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Boris, think that is very likely, do you think they'll bring the truck back?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Hells Bells, be nice if they did, but I doubt it as they'll be wanting to send people into the over priced places in terminal
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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One think that confused me about this e-gates thing is that last November I remeber using one to enter Portugal. After the egate you walked up to a desk where the passport was stamped. Coming back to Birmingham last Friday there were no e-gates everyone had to visit a manned stand.
From what I see this deal will go no where near what I and I supect the majority of people were hoping for. If my friend in France wants to send me a birthday present I wil still have to pay import duty, admin charge and VAT on the small present.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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At LHR and STN and LRN, coming back to the UK, the UK people and the EU people have remained all together in one line since the Brits left the EU.
It's always been asymmetrical.
The change is going to remedy that. Think of it as the UK "becoming equal" with EU folk in one small respect.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| johnE wrote: |
One think that confused me about this e-gates thing is that last November I remeber using one to enter Portugal. After the egate you walked up to a desk where the passport was stamped. Coming back to Birmingham last Friday there were no e-gates everyone had to visit a manned stand.
From what I see this deal will go no where near what I and I supect the majority of people were hoping for. If my friend in France wants to send me a birthday present I wil still have to pay import duty, admin charge and VAT on the small present. |
Knowing Birmingham -- e-gates probably broken !!
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| johnE wrote: |
One think that confused me about this e-gates thing is that last November I remeber using one to enter Portugal. After the egate you walked up to a desk where the passport was stamped. Coming back to Birmingham last Friday there were no e-gates everyone had to visit a manned stand.
From what I see this deal will go no where near what I and I supect the majority of people were hoping for. If my friend in France wants to send me a birthday present I wil still have to pay import duty, admin charge and VAT on the small present. |
Yep
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| phil_w wrote: |
At LHR and STN and LRN, coming back to the UK, the UK people and the EU people have remained all together in one line since the Brits left the EU.
It's always been asymmetrical.
The change is going to remedy that. Think of it as the UK "becoming equal" with EU folk in one small respect. |
Or small minded, vindictive ex's forced to meet us half way
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The "change" isn't going to actually change anything.
UK nationals have always been able to use eGates to enter EU countries where that EU country has decided to allow it. It was never a matter for the EU President or the Commission but a decision that member states could take themselves. Some have agreed to it and some have not....this decision will not change that as each member state will continue to make their own decisions.
Once EES comes in (at some point in the future) it should remove the necessity to stamp passports which means that you shouldn't need to use the eGates and then queue up for a stamp afterwards.
The UK has always allowed all EU nationals, amongst others, to use the eGates.
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I'm an EU passport holder - my wife and 2 lads aren't (yet) but have always taken advantage of the "core family" rule, joining me in the EU passport control queues at GVA and other European airports.
I'm not sure, access to e-gates will make a massive difference and get you to start your holiday quicker as Starmer claims . From personal experience, the e-gate option is not particularly seamless as :
a) the software doesn't always work / scan the passport code correctly
b) people (young kids in particular) will always be prone to scanning the passport upside down, moving the passport before the scan is complete etc
c) at certain airports (Larnaca for example, no idea why) you have to take the slip spat out by the e-gate and hand it over to a border control official
And, I believe this is down to individual airports to implement as they see fit. I can't for the life of me see how this will work at GVA for example (not even sure whether this applies to Switzerland) given where the e-gates are currently located. It'll be a recipe for disaster and will exacerbate the existing multiple queues situation.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Hurdy, Agree, there will be little to no change for folks from the UK it's member states decisions to stop the use of E gates whilst the UK allows anyone to use them. I don't see any benefit to this 'change' the UKPM is hailing as a win. Also, the EES is a joke, this issue isn't genuine tourists and families clearly coming over with valid passports for short periods of time and the EES will do nothing to address the issue.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Gored wrote: |
long lines 
Have never encounted one. Especially one that is so called waiting for hours.
Even after travel during covid when you need a vaccine certification. |
As a counter point, I have nearly missed connections on work trips going through Schiphol and Stockholm. Hitting the passport desk at the same time as a large US flight (Schiphol*) or just being a couple of full flights of none-EU nationals landing for work (Stockholm) can really shaft you. When it's bad, it is really bad.
Last time through Geneva there was no queue, but it was very quiet as I was flying at "odd" times.
*Schipol is chuffing massive though and my work travel agency sometime think I am quicker on my feet that I actually am. I am frequently quicker than my bags though, which is annoying!
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| GreenDay wrote: |
@rob@rar, @Nadenoodlee, Quite.
I look forward to more of the same at Marseilles in a couple of weeks.......
However, on the general point if there is a relaxation we can look forward to using the EU e-gates and that is excellent news. |
Total aside but we trained down to Marseille and it was brilliant, don't think we'd fly that route again. Marseille was a fab holiday too.
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You know it makes sense.
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LOL everyone being chuffed about something that was going to happen anyway.
Once ETIAS is made available, it is always about automation. With ETIAS there is litttle need for a manual check & stamp.
E-Gate access wont come before ETIAS, as many airports will not have infrastructure in place to be able to also rubber stamp a passport.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Boris, My understanding is that that you will initially have to register, but on later occasions will still need to use the scanners on entry to identify yourself to the system.
Presumably, the same scanners will be used for both purposes, so for a number of months you may well still be in a long queue if there are people in front of you who need to register.
As more people are on the system, hopefully some of these machines will be repurposed for those already registered to be fast tracked.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
But if the Brexit folk want to continue to queue up with the rest of the world when entering eg EEA countries (eg Iceland),
there's presumably not going to be anything to stop them doing that - they fought hard and paid dearly for the right to be disadvantaged versus the rest of Europe, after all. Everybody wins. |
And all the while celebrating the extra £250m a week that has completely transformed the NHS 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| brianatab wrote: |
@Boris, My understanding is that that you will initially have to register, but on later occasions will still need to use the scanners on entry to identify yourself to the system.
Presumably, the same scanners will be used for both purposes, so for a number of months you may well still be in a long queue if there are people in front of you who need to register.
As more people are on the system, hopefully some of these machines will be repurposed for those already registered to be fast tracked. |
We ‘brits’ can use such scanners in the US - just as long as you have a visa waiver.
EU will be exactly the same. They know 99% of British people are not a risk to being an illegal worker or open to exploitation for work.
Sure there will probably be some under the counter work like bar staff & touts in tourist areas or even chalet workers, etc. However they are all seasonal gigs.
If they end up breaching the visa waiver, then just like US - it will probably be withdrawn from you being able to apply.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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It's not about British travellers though is it? It is about all non EU/EEA travellers entering Schengen who are all required to use the machines to register and then provide biometrics each time they travel. So low risk British travellers may well be waiting in queues behind travellers from (potentially) higher risk countries who use the same machines.
EES and ETIAS applies to all travellers so the risk per country makes no difference in terms of crossing the border. There is no fast track option....indeed Eurostar have had to close the SmartCheck (their fast track) to accommodate EES https://www.iproov.com/iproov-me-closure-faq
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| galpinos wrote: |
| Gored wrote: |
long lines
Have never encounted one. Especially one that is so called waiting for hours.
Even after travel during covid when you need a vaccine certification. |
As a counter point, I have nearly missed connections on work trips going through Schiphol and Stockholm. Hitting the passport desk at the same time as a large US flight (Schiphol*) or just being a couple of full flights of none-EU nationals landing for work (Stockholm) can really shaft you. When it's bad, it is really bad.
Last time through Geneva there was no queue, but it was very quiet as I was flying at "odd" times.
*Schipol is chuffing massive though and my work travel agency sometime think I am quicker on my feet that I actually am. I am frequently quicker than my bags though, which is annoying! |
In recent years when on a connecting flight Schipol has outpaced Rome in terms of guaranteed checked baggage loss, which is really quite impressive in its own way.
The Emirates 380 into GVA obviously has a lot of non EU nationals arriving. I fly enough that I have decent status so we are at the front of economy generally, but getting off that flight from a crap seat at the back is a bloody nightmare for passport control.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| johnE wrote: |
One think that confused me about this e-gates thing is that last November I remeber using one to enter Portugal. After the egate you walked up to a desk where the passport was stamped. Coming back to Birmingham last Friday there were no e-gates everyone had to visit a manned stand.
From what I see this deal will go no where near what I and I supect the majority of people were hoping for. If my friend in France wants to send me a birthday present I wil still have to pay import duty, admin charge and VAT on the small present. |
It depends on the value of the present and as far as vat goes isn't really any different from before Brexit, vat is and always was charged by the seller if it goes to a different country, another EU country or not the seller "refunds" it and the buyer in the importing country in the EU and UK has to pay it at the rates charged in that country, if you are a business you do so via your normal vate return, if you aren't vat registered the company that delivers it is responsible, gifts under £39 iirc that's the right amount you don't pay the vat on ,
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Boris wrote: |
| @James77, I thought EES would only be a delay factor on initial registration, and it was then valid for a few years. It also, I think, removes the need for physical stamps so should speed up queues as well |
Yeah I think this is the case, the initial bit is going to be the fun bit especially at places like the EuroTunnel where everyone will need to get out the car etc. That said they have got a big hanger with a lot of terminals all ready so hopefully that will help. I presume the new EES tent will just be for those needing to register and then the normal passport control will be the same just not requiring stamps so hopefully a little quicker although I doubt by much.
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The new building at Eurotunnel looked pretty complete when we went through recently.
They say they are ready
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| robs1 wrote: |
The new building at Eurotunnel looked pretty complete when we went through recently.
They say they are ready |
Yup they were ready to go for last November and were not happy when it was all pushed back as they had even employed staff etc so there was talk about whether they could get something like $70million to cover the fact its been delayed and the costs its incurred as a result of it
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@robs1, I was refering to the VAT charged on the cost of actually charging you processing the import.
It was interesting that Starmer was talking about reducing the queues for people entering Shengen area but made no comment on reducing the queues on entering the UK, which are (with the exception of Geneva) longer. The government could actually do something about that such as employ more border guards.
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| Rob_Quads wrote: |
| robs1 wrote: |
The new building at Eurotunnel looked pretty complete when we went through recently.
They say they are ready |
Yup they were ready to go for last November and were not happy when it was all pushed back as they had even employed staff etc so there was talk about whether they could get something like $70million to cover the fact its been delayed and the costs its incurred as a result of it |
How will this work with FlexiPlus I pay the premium to speed through not queue up with gen pop. Maybe they'll be a FlexiPlus registration area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@James77, could be like the FP fast lane in France, that joins near the front of the winding passport queue on peak days.
@johnE, I've entered the UK (by air) over 100 times in the last four years, and I've only once queued for more than 2mins. Maybe time to rethink your choice of airport if yours is worse than GVA.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| James77 wrote: |
| Rob_Quads wrote: |
| robs1 wrote: |
The new building at Eurotunnel looked pretty complete when we went through recently.
They say they are ready |
Yup they were ready to go for last November and were not happy when it was all pushed back as they had even employed staff etc so there was talk about whether they could get something like $70million to cover the fact its been delayed and the costs its incurred as a result of it |
How will this work with FlexiPlus I pay the premium to speed through not queue up with gen pop. Maybe they'll be a FlexiPlus registration area. |
As I understand the process it's a once every three years or until your passport runs out finger print etc take which will take a few minutes after that it's linked to your passport so will go straight to the passport control as now, I'm sure some EU countries will try and make it easy others as hard as possible. Our experience of Eurotunnel is that getting back into the UK is harder than getting into France
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E-gate joke from Starmer at PMQ's today at the expense for La Farage... 
"..Sir Keir Starmer made a jab at Nigel Farage during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (21 May), stating that the Reform UK leader, who is currently holidaying in France, was “first through the E-GATES”.
Mr Farage missed a parliamentary debate on a Brexit reset yesterday, where the prime minister presented his new UK-EU deal, with access to e-gates being a crucial part of the agreement.
Speaking to Reform UK MP Lee Anderson in the House of Commons, Sir Keir said it was “very good” to see him standing in for the Clacton MP.
Sir Keir’s joke on e-gates was met with cheers from the Commons, and he followed the jab with the pun: “Nice work if you can get it.”
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You know it makes sense.
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| albob wrote: |
E-gate joke from Starmer at PMQ's today at the expense for La Farage...
"..Sir Keir Starmer made a jab at Nigel Farage during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (21 May), stating that the Reform UK leader, who is currently holidaying in France, was “first through the E-GATES”.
Mr Farage missed a parliamentary debate on a Brexit reset yesterday, where the prime minister presented his new UK-EU deal, with access to e-gates being a crucial part of the agreement.
Speaking to Reform UK MP Lee Anderson in the House of Commons, Sir Keir said it was “very good” to see him standing in for the Clacton MP.
Sir Keir’s joke on e-gates was met with cheers from the Commons, and he followed the jab with the pun: “Nice work if you can get it.” |
Absolute gaslighting ... but let's not turn this into a political debate.
In the real world, absolutely nothing will change for travelling Brits this summer and before the new EES system is implemented.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| robs1 wrote: |
| James77 wrote: |
| Rob_Quads wrote: |
| robs1 wrote: |
The new building at Eurotunnel looked pretty complete when we went through recently.
They say they are ready |
Yup they were ready to go for last November and were not happy when it was all pushed back as they had even employed staff etc so there was talk about whether they could get something like $70million to cover the fact its been delayed and the costs its incurred as a result of it |
How will this work with FlexiPlus I pay the premium to speed through not queue up with gen pop. Maybe they'll be a FlexiPlus registration area. |
As I understand the process it's a once every three years or until your passport runs out finger print etc take which will take a few minutes after that it's linked to your passport so will go straight to the passport control as now, I'm sure some EU countries will try and make it easy others as hard as possible. Our experience of Eurotunnel is that getting back into the UK is harder than getting into France |
Yes. All very well until thousands descend on the tunnel during February half term next year. That registration few minutes turns into hours.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@snowdave, I've never waited less than 2 minutes. Usually 10 but last Saturday morning at 2AM it was closer to 20. No e-gates just half a dozen booths and a couple flights landed at the same time. It is still much quicker to wait those 20 minutes than drive down to Luton. It's usually only a couple minutes at most Shengen airports, but I have waited over 30 minutes at Geneva.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| James77 wrote: |
| robs1 wrote: |
| James77 wrote: |
| Rob_Quads wrote: |
| robs1 wrote: |
The new building at Eurotunnel looked pretty complete when we went through recently.
They say they are ready |
Yup they were ready to go for last November and were not happy when it was all pushed back as they had even employed staff etc so there was talk about whether they could get something like $70million to cover the fact its been delayed and the costs its incurred as a result of it |
How will this work with FlexiPlus I pay the premium to speed through not queue up with gen pop. Maybe they'll be a FlexiPlus registration area. |
As I understand the process it's a once every three years or until your passport runs out finger print etc take which will take a few minutes after that it's linked to your passport so will go straight to the passport control as now, I'm sure some EU countries will try and make it easy others as hard as possible. Our experience of Eurotunnel is that getting back into the UK is harder than getting into France |
Yes. All very well until thousands descend on the tunnel during February half term next year. That registration few minutes turns into hours. |
The same was said about when we left, it was a few queues for a short while now back to.normal, Eurotunnel have said it will not be chaos, at the end of the day if they open all the lanes so they can process people as fast as the trains can carry them to France there won't be any more delays than now at peak times, the delays will be caused by people not coming prepared .
Time will tell
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@robs1, I went through Friday of this February half term, and it was chaos it's simply a volume issue.
I'm hoping it does come in during October so we can take a trip on a quiet day to get the admin sorted before half term madness.
As you say, time will tell.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| James77 wrote: |
@robs1, I went through Friday of this February half term, and it was chaos it's simply a volume issue.
I'm hoping it does come in during October so we can take a trip on a quiet day to get the admin sorted before half term madness.
As you say, time will tell. |
Yes chaos because of the number of people going through passport control , the area for the new system is by the main centre ( as I'm sure you know) so as long as they can process the new form as fast as the passport control currently does it won't increase queues as such , Eurotunnel have claimed it will take five minutes the first time and around a minute thereafter, if only the traffic jams getting there were so easy.
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FAQ
