Eurostar Launches Biometric Gates for Premium Passengers

Eurostar has launched its SmartCheck biometric gates exclusively for Business Premier and Carte Blanche customers at London’s St Pancras International Station.

The gates, which have undergone successful trials since late 2021, offer a contactless pre-departure solution that enhances the pre-boarding process by eliminating the need for manual passport checks when exiting the UK. Powered by iProov’s biometric face-scanning technology, the gates swiftly verify passenger details in under two seconds.

Eligible passengers can access the SmartCheck lanes, where they can complete registration using the iProov app. The registration process involves facial scanning, photo uploading, and passport chip scanning, with the information securely stored for future journeys. Once registered, passengers can scan their ticket barcodes via the app, linking them to their biometric data.

While initially available to premium passengers, Eurostar plans to assess the trial’s success and may extend the technology to regular passengers and other stations in the future.

Travelers must still present their passports to French border authorities before boarding the train, but the biometric system is a step toward a more seamless border control process ahead of the implementation of the European Union’s planned biometric Entry/Exit System, currently planned for next year.

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July 17, 2023 – by the FindBiometrics Editorial Team