15 countries added to Registered Traveller service

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The United Kingdom has added 15 new countries to its Registered Traveller service and opened the program to dependent children traveling with family members.

What does the change mean? Effective Oct. 5, travelers from Andorra, the Bahamas, Botswana, Holy See (Vatican City), Macao, Maldives, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Tonga and Trinidad and Tobago are eligible for the program. Travelers who use the program do not need to fill out a landing card and may use fast lanes at U.K. airports. Those with biometric passports may use ePassport gates. The addition of 15 countries follows a recent change that opened the Registered Traveller program to dependent children traveling with family. Previously, it was only available for those 18 or older.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate and ongoing.
• Visas/permits affected: Registered Traveller program.
• Who is affected:  Travelers holding passports from Andorra, the Bahamas, Botswana, Holy See (Vatican City), Macao, Maldives, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Tonga and Trinidad and Tobago are eligible for the program.
• Impact on processing times: The program expedites border procedures.
• Business impact: The service is beneficial to frequent business travelers to the U.K.
• Next steps: Travelers can complete Registered Traveller registration processes on this website.

Background: Registered Traveller applicants must have a visa to the U.K. or have visited the U.K. at least four times in the last two years.

Registered Travellers may use U.K. and EU entry lanes and ePassport gates at Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester and Stansted airports, as well as Eurostar train terminals at Brussels, Lille and Paris.

Countries that are already in the program include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States. A full list of the countries in the program and eligibility criteria for the service is available here.

BAL Analysis: The U.K. continues to expand the Registered Traveller program, a convenient option for frequent travelers that also reduces queues at airports overall by diverting low-risk travelers to automated entry clearance gates.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in the United Kingdom. For additional information, please contact uk@bal.com.

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