Fingerprinting for visa waiver visitors

[scamhammer]

From October, all visitors on the visa waiver programme will be photographed and fingerprinted. This includes all Europeans.

[Gillian-B]

I went on an internal flight from Gatwick last week (actually a take-off, fly around and back again!) and everyone was photographed both before boarding and after landing as well (I think this may be for all domestic flights). The photo was taken at the first check-point and a bar-code stuck on the boarding pass. At the second check-point, the boarding pass was scanned and the photo came up on the screen.

I guess this is similar to what will happen in the US??? I wonder though, whether they will retain the details on the immigration computer system?

[athurstance]

We did too Gillian - when we flew to Jersey last year. They took our photograph when we went through customs and then when we got to the boarding gate they pulled up our photos when we handed our boarding cards in. A fairly painless procedure and it doesn't take long.

[Gillian-B]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by athurstance
We did too Gillian - when we flew to Jersey last year. They took our photograph when we went through customs and then when we got to the boarding gate they pulled up our photos when we handed our boarding cards in. A fairly painless procedure and it doesn't take long.
[/quote]
Yes, the process was painless, but the photo . . . . .[msneek] [msnwink]

[caroline]

Good!

I'm all for extra security in whatever form it takes

Sounds like good news to me, those of us who have nothing to hide will be in favour of anything that tightens security!

[Ann-Marie]

I second that Julie and I'd rather be held up for a while to make sure everthing is ok than take any chances!


Ann-Marie

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by caroline
Good!

I'm all for extra security in whatever form it takes


[/quote]

I agree. When my relatives arrived from India last week, my brother-in-law was questioned for over 30 minutes although he is nothing more than a harmless horticulturist with very little travelling experience. I can guess why, though; he has more than a passing resemblance to Saad al-Takriti, one time a leading henchman of Saddam Hussain. We have teased him about this quite often, although he is a lot younger than the infamous Iraqui.

[markemma]

I recently flew into MCO and used my visa and had my fingerprints and photo done.

[ujpest doza]

They have taken you photograph at Gatwick and Heathrow for a couple of years now.

They basically do it to make sure that the same person who checked in is the same person who boards the aircraft ie when you hand in your boarding card your photgraph from check in is displayed on a computer screen to make sure someone else isn't trying to board on your pass.