London-France Eurostar ends biometric check-in as station prepares for Entry-Exit System
The service has been in place since July 2023
It is part of a reorganisation before the EU's border security systems launch
Sergii Figurnyi/Shutterstock
Eurostar will end the use of its current biometric check-in system at London St Pancars on February 12 as it prepares for the incoming EU Entry/Exit System (EES).
The ‘SmartCheck’ system that allows certain travellers to check in without scanning their tickets began in 2023.
It is aimed at Eurostar Premier passengers and Carte Blanche and Etoile members.
It allows users to upload a photo of themselves to an app in advance, and their face can then be scanned on departure, in a dedicated lane, to check that it matches the saved image.
The current SmartCheck space will be replaced by a priority check-in line for Eurostar Premier passengers and Carte Blanche and Étoile Club Eurostar members, who will return to checking in via scanning their tickets.
The system was only in place at the London St Pancras station and not other Eurostar terminals.
Eurostar passengers on services to the UK should note that from April 8, they will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter, unless they are UK or Irish citizens or already have a valid visa/right of residence in the UK.
Read more: New UK travel permit rules: how are travellers from France affected?
EES capacity boosted
Eurostar says that the ending of the SmartCheck service is needed as it makes changes in the station in preparation for the coming launch of the EES, including improvements to its border control area, with additional e-passport gates and extra passport control booths. This number of e-passport gates will increase from eight to 11.
In addition, it is installing new EES ‘pre-registration kiosks’ at St Pancras to help passengers register for the system when it starts, boosting the total to 49 from 28 initially.
The new systems “will help us ensure the border control process is as smooth as possible for passengers travelling in the coming months and after EES has launched,” Eurostar said on its website when announcing the end of SmartCheck.
The firm also says the experience gained through its use of SmartCheck has helped in preparations for EES, which will also involve the use of passengers' biometric data.
“SmartCheck has served its purpose in educating us on the technology of the future, and we’re confident in building on those learnings as we continue to enhance the travel experience for all Eurostar customers,” a spokesperson for the company said, quoted on specialist railway website Railway Gazette.
Currently, it is unknown when EES will be implemented. The EES system will involve non-EU travellers to the EU, who do not require a visa for short-term travel to the EU and who do not have a valid visa or residency card.
They will need to provide biometric information at the border including a facial photo and fingerprints to be registered into a database system which will monitor their entries and exits from the EU's Schengen area. Visitors will also be asked questions about their travel plans.
The EU Council requested that the agency overseeing the EES systems provide, by the end of January, a new 'roadmap' for its launch, including new dates, after the latest intended launch date of November 10, 2024 was not met.
However, there is no concrete news of new dates, as yet. The official EES website states that EES is due to launch this year.
Read more: Britons, Americans, other non-EU travellers: New problem for digital border checks
