Biometric passport has never worked on entry to UK. Immigration officer tells me they cannot tell me why. What could the reason be?

Biometric passport has never worked on entry to UK. Immigration officer tells me they cannot tell me why. What could the reason be? - Crop unrecognizable person demonstrating British passport

I've had a UK biometric passport since 2014. Despite this, I have never been able to enter the UK via an electronic gate. Instead the gate always tells me to seek assistance. Last night, after returning from a European trip, I asked the immigration officer if there was a reason for this. Apparently, there is something on my file -- that is nothing to do with me -- that forces the gate to fail and sends me to speak to a person at immigration rather than using the gate. Apparently, the officer was not allowed to tell me what this thing was. However, I have no problem using electronic gates at other European countries.

I am a UK citizen, and do not have a criminal record. I regularly travel (roughly once every 2 months) and have never had trouble abroad. Nor can I think of any reason why I would otherwise be suspicious to UK immigration. Naturally I would like to use the e-gates to enter the UK as the referral to an immigration officer can often increase my wait time by 20 mins. Does anyone know what this thing on my file could be, and how I could change it?






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Does UK immigration stamp passport on entry?

If you use the e-gates to enter the UK, your passport will not be stamped. This means that you will not have an official record of the date that you entered the UK. You should therefore keep evidence of your date of entry to the UK (for example your flight ticket), because may need this later on.

How do I know if my UK passport is biometric?

The simplest way to tell if your passport is biometric is by looking at the cover. If there's a small, gold camera logo at the bottom, then it's biometric. Otherwise, the technology held within a biometric passport has become so advanced and the components so small that you can't feel any lumps or ridges at all.

What information is held on a biometric passport?

The passport chip contains biometric information that is used to authenticate the identity of the passport holder. Your important information is printed on the data page of the passport and stored in the chip. This includes your name, date of birth and other biographic information.



UK BORDER FORCE- Asian man loses his passport in Manchester Airport.




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Ethan Wilkinson, Karolina Grabowska, Max Vakhtbovych, Olga Lioncat