Border control agencies are front-line in the protection of the national border to apply the rules and regulations relating to the entry and exit from the state. The increase in international travel and trade has meant that it has become more complex and difficult for border control agencies to regulate borders, therefore decreasing their efficiency. In response to the increasing volume of people passing through border control E-border has been put into action, for example by the UK Border Agency, as a way to combat the complexities and difficulties posed by the large volume of traffic crossing borders.
E-border is an electronic border control which was put into action in the UK in 2007 by the labour government in order to help the control of over 200 million passengers crossing the UK border. It was put into action after exit checks were scrapped in order to maintain control of the border. When e-border was initially set up the aim was to achieve information on all passengers entering and exiting the UK by 2014, however this no longer appears to be feasible.
As an electronic border control it collects and stores all information about passengers and crews entering or exiting the UK. This information is collected and analysed before travel starts on all journeys in and out of the UK, and is then checked against terror and criminal watch lists. The e-border therefore makes the prevention of criminal activity, including illegal crossings, counterfeit ID’s and Documents and smuggling, more efficient, as all of the data is cross referenced with the relevant information and watch lists.
Due to European Law of free movement carriers and ports supply the relevant information to the UK Border Agency on a voluntary basis.
Requested mandatory data for this document includes:
- The travel document information (TDI) for the passenger, this is the data which is held in the machine-readable zone of the passport or identity document. In the airline industry this information is know as advance passenger information (API) data.
- The TDI for crew members.
- As well as service information for the crew.
BBC News: E-borders: Bill for legal with Raytheon Due soon
Not only has border control become electronic but passports are also being replaced with an electronic version, known as a biometric passport or e-passport, to further ensure the security of border control. The e-passport is scanned by a machine either by a border control officer or by the passenger at an E-passport gate, where the information is then electronically processed.
The biometeric e-passport was brought into effect in Britian in 2006, replacing the previous passport type with a new hi-tech document containing a computer chip which holds an image of the passport holders face. It uses facial recognition software to help fight passport fraud, as well as increasing security of border control. An e-passport has an integrated computer chip that holds the same information printed on the Passport’s data page.
E-passports were introduced in the UK after the United States demanded that the 27 countries whose citizens enjoyed visa free travel for up to and including 90 days issue their citizens with a biometric passport. The initial deadline given by Washington to the countries under that fall under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) was the 26th of October 2005. However after complaints from the EU over time issues with completing the changeover for this date the deadline was extended by a year. In Britain the e-passport began being put into action in March 2006 following the requirement of a biometric passport to gain entry to the United States, as biometric passports containing a digital photo of the holder are a requirement for entry into the United States.
Therefore all passports issued by the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries and the United States are equipped with security features to ensure the security of the border and those crossing it.
In October 2010 IPS (Identity and Passport Service) issued to all UK nationals a new version of the e-passport. Introducing a new design with additional security features to UK nationals IPS issued a design where the personal details page has been moved to the front of the passport and where the back cover is the electronic chip.
Many countries around the world have adopted biometric security technologies within identification and travel documents. As they positively confirm idenities of the passport holder and are difficult to forge.
BBC News: Introduction of e-passports in 2006 in the UK
BBC News: Testing New Face Scanners in 2009
Other countries in the EU using e-passports relevant for pilots:
Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijian, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, China, Dominincan Republic, Eqygpt, Ghana, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, Macao SAR, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Venezuela.
In order to speed up border control e-passport gates have been put in place. These are automated gates which contain a scanner and camera, with facial recognition technology which acts as border control. In the place of border control officers these e-passports gates scan the chipped biometric passports of either UK or EU citizens and then using the facial recognition technology monitor those entering and exiting the UK. While these gates have been put in place to increase the efficiency the e-passport gates have not replaced border control officers, passport holders can still enter or exit the UK with passports that are not biometric.
UK Border Control: Using E-passport Gates
When flying between the UK and the US pilots and operators will need to consider APIS filing.
APIS stands for Advanced Passenger Information System is a border control mechanism which enhances border security by providing officers with pre-arrival and departure manifest data on all passengers and crew members. Established by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) APIS is an electronic data interchange system, governing the provision of identification details from the passport and basic flight information.
The information required for the APIS is passenger or crew full name as shown on passport, gender, date of birth, nationality, country of residence, travel document type and number. For US travellers, only those who are not U.S. nationals, the address of their first night spent in the U.S. is also required. This information can be accessed through e-passports as part of e-border control.
APIS has become a requirement upon entry and exit to certain countries in an attempt to tighten up on who is travelling in and out of these countries, increasing the efficiency of Border Control. Transit stops are also covered in the requirement for APIS submissions. Information collected for APIS is used for law enforcement purposes, as it is checked against criminal watch lists, for example those entering and leaving the United States will find that their information is checked against the FBI National Crime Information Centre. Border Security is enhanced by being provided with APIS, as border control officers have access to pre-arrival and departure manifest data on all crew and passengers, allowing routine identity checks.
For those passengers who book online the airline automatically collects this information for them, therefore there is no extra time required to enter APIS. All the data that the passenger is required to give to the chosen airline is their passport number, and as they are now e-passports the rest of the personal data required can be accessed from this number.
If you want to see the information that is held by the UK Border Agency than you can request to by submitting a Subject Access Request. This means that anyone can request to see information relating to themselves or children under 16 that they have guardianship over, when providing a £10 check and posting their request. The Data Protection Act 1998 governs the processing of personal data, ensuring that this data is secure and used only for the means of ensuring border security.
e-APIS is a public website which allows small commercial carriers to transmit data to the CBP electronically, giving the carries a quicker way to submit the information which is requested of them.