Passport control
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Passport control
Head towards passport control, which will be clearly signposted on your arrival.
There are two separate queues as follows:
- One for European Union (EU)*, European Economic Area (EEA), British nationals and Swiss nationals.
- And a secondfor all other nationalities.
At the passport desk a UK Border Agency officer will ask to see your passport or travel document and any supporting documentation necessary for your visit. Please remember that your passport must not expire during your visit to the United Kingdom. For full details on entry requirements into the United Kingdom, please visit the UK Border Agency website.
With tougher checks now in place at the border you may have to wait a little longer to get into the United Kingdom, especially at peak times. The UK Border Agency uses scanners to ensure that passports, visas and other official documents are genuine. UK Border Agency officers are trained to detect forgeries and check that people have the right to enter the United Kingdom.
Assisted Border Control (ABC) systemBAA and the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) are working in partnership to trial an Automation-Assisted Border Control (ABC) system at Stansted Airport. The trial will test how facial recognition, ePassport and gate technology can assist in managing passengers arriving in the UK.
The ABC trial (similar to one currently running at Manchester Airport) will run for six months and will be open to certain passengers to use for clearing UK Border Control.
Read a summary of the ABC trial (PDF)
Please click on the start button below for further information on how and who can use the automated gate system
*EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.