Biometric Passports Updates

I am a few weeks behind on reading my IT Trade press, but I just spotted this in one from a couple of weeks ago.

The ID and Passport service are to trial fingerprint recognition technology next year, along with facial biometric in electronic passports.

These appear to be scheduled for 'release' to the public at the end of 2007.

Well we all know about biometric additions to passports, but I thought these were going to be available soon, not 18 months away.

Paul

If you look at the UK Passport Service website & this page in particular

http://www.passport.gov.uk/general_biometrics.asp

It suggests that some biometric passports are already being issued, but the numbers will be ramped up later in the year. Looks like they are only doing facial biometrics at the moment. Then again, once there is a chip on the passport, you can store an awful lot of data on it.

I've already seen many UK bio-metric passports - it's hard to get round your head they're actually British they look so odd in colour!

At T3 LHR they've alreay got a few iris recognition machines. Sure they're not wired in or anything, but they're there!

What colour are they compared to the previous ones?

They are wired in T2. Theres an enrollment office there too so one morning I enrolled (15 minutes of camera/demo) and can promise it works well and its just lovely to jump the queue and not have to speak to a grumpy BAA security / HM immigration person... Its coming to the other terminals through the year. Dont now about LGW though...

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by mysteryflyer
They are wired in T2. Theres an enrollment office there too so one morning I enrolled (15 minutes of camera/demo) and can promise it works well and its just lovely to jump the queue and not have to speak to a grumpy BAA security / HM immigration person...

Sorry, don't understand here. Did they issue you with a new passport, in this 15 minutes?

If so, did you get to keep your old one? How much did it cost? Is it valid for 10 years from the date of issue?

Sorry for so many questions, but it seems too simple for something that the government are organising. [:I][}:)]

Nick

Originally posted by Nottingham Nick
Sorry, don't understand here. Did they issue you with a new passport, in this 15 minutes?

If so, did you get to keep your old one? How much did it cost? Is it valid for 10 years from the date of issue?

Ah, the IRIS scheme doesn't require you to have a new chipped passport.

IRIS uses it's own seperate iris database, to which is linked your existing (non-biometric) passport details.

In that sense, it's very similar to the Privium system at Schiphol.

Mike

After getting married last October & having to honeymoon with passport in maiden name, my good lady recently applied for a new passport. After reading about the new Biometric ones now being available - when she asked the lady in the passport office (went through to Glasgow & did it in person) - she didnt seem to know too much about it [:0][:0]
Wife now has a non-biometric passport dated until February 2017.[n]

[Scrooge]

Which leads me to ask another question..I have a non bio UK passport and a US greencard,am I going to need to get a new passport next year or do you think the INS will be happy with the green card?

^ The US does not need biometric passports whether you have a green card or not, and wont do for a good few years to come.

If you are a US resident all you need is a valid passport to travel - doesn't need to be biometric or machine readable - just in date.

No new passport. They just took a copy of my details, scanned my eyes and tested the scan worked and showed me how to use the system.

Theres no paperwork to speak of, just a registration record that you dont need to keep.

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by Lipstick
^ The US does not need biometric passports whether you have a green card or not, and wont do for a good few years to come.

If you are a US resident all you need is a valid passport to travel - doesn't need to be biometric or machine readable - just in date.

Ok,just me reading that totaly wrong,thanks.

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by mysteryflyer
No new passport. They just took a copy of my details, scanned my eyes and tested the scan worked and showed me how to use the system.

So, when US Immigration insist on Biometric passports (whenever they eventually decide to enforce this) will what you have signed up for now be of any use to you, or will you still need a new passport, did they tell you?

Nick