The Lemon Fool

Does anyone know for sure if I can use the automated passport gates at Barcelona airport with my UK biometric passport? I don't want to go that way and then be turned away!

Last time I was there, only very few passengers were using them - and from what I could overhear they were all speaking fluent Spanish to the staff.

Travellers weren't directed towards them either, they were more than happy to process us manually (and a large queue built up behind me as I had hotfooted it from my plane ahead of another landing!)

http://www.passengerselfservice.com/201 ... a-updated/

MTIA
Sats

Satsuma wrote:Does anyone know for sure if I can use the automated passport gates at Barcelona airport with my UK biometric passport? I don't want to go that way and then be turned away!

Last time I was there, only very few passengers were using them - and from what I could overhear they were all speaking fluent Spanish to the staff.

Travellers weren't directed towards them either, they were more than happy to process us manually (and a large queue built up behind me as I had hotfooted it from my plane ahead of another landing!)

http://www.passengerselfservice.com/201 ... a-updated/

MTIA
Sats

I have used such gates in many parts of the world so I see no reason why you should not be able to use them in Barcelona

niord wrote:I have used such gates in many parts of the world so I see no reason why you should not be able to use them in Barcelona

Me too, but the lack of passenger using them or being directed by the staff there, coupled with the fact there was no obvious signage like I have seen elsewhere, AND that it seemed to be only locals is what's making me pause.

I only had to wait a short time in the manual queue, but it backed up really quickly - well beyond the roped lines but the e-gate staff just stood there. It was like the only people using them knew for definite they could and went straight there; but nobody else was sure.

I am leery of heading for them, being turned away and then ending up the back of a long queue that's materialised in the intervening!

Sats

Although this looks more promisingly definitive:

Barcelona’s El Prat Airport has deployed biometric border controls featuring facial and fingerprint recognition in a bid to accelerate passenger throughput...<snip>The system is designed for the use of all citizens of the European Economic Area who are of legal age and bearers of an e-passport or e-ID card

http://www.securitydocumentworld.com/ar ... s/i/12247/

For the avoidance of doubt and closure of the thread, I can confirm the gates work perfectly well for UK citizens with e passports

Satsuma wrote:For the avoidance of doubt and closure of the thread, I can confirm the gates work perfectly well for UK citizens with e passports

Not sure about Barcelona, but when coming back to Heathrow or Manchester, if the automatic scanners / retina scanners weren't working, the customs official sent us to the front of the "manual" queue. It was quite a good wheeze during the retina ID trials!