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Eye for immigration

Has anyone had any experience of the iris-scanning technology at Heathrow airport that is designed to speed up immigration checks?

The cunningly named Iris Recognition Immigration System (IRIS) is only open to people who have visited the IRIS sign-up offices in the various departure lounges at Heathrow. Sign-up involves an immigration officer checking your passport and then storing this information alongside a picture of your iris.

And this is where the fun begins as photographing your iris involves getting your head into a fairly precise position. The system patiently gives you advice such as “move to the left”, “move closer” or “stand back” and eventually you will be in the right position. So as long as you are not in a rush to catch a flight, it’s a good way to pass some time and improve security.

But what about when you arrive back in the UK? When you reach immigration, follow the IRIS signs that direct you to separate booths where you are required to go through the same iris-alignment procedure. You step into a booth and battle the jet-lag to get into your iris into the right position but that’s it - no need to show your passport.

My first attempt at getting back into the UK via IRIS worked fine, although it did take me a while to get into the right position. That said, I was probably just as quick as if I had shown my passport to an immigration officer. I guess practice makes perfect when it comes to iris alignment and I’ll certainly be giving the IRIS system a try next time I pass through immigration at Heathrow.

Posted by Jacqueline Hewett on April 24, 2008 4:14 PM | Permalink