Exit
checks for
all travellers

1 April 2015

Starting on 8 April 2015, exit checks will be performed on outbound travellers at all major UK travel hubs.

These exit checks will now see passport and travel document information collected for passengers leaving the UK via scheduled commercial international sea, air and rail routes.

The majority of airlines already provide the Home Office with Advance Passenger Information (API) for each outbound customer and nothing significant will change for these passengers. Where API cannot be provided, on some rail and ferry journeys for example, passenger information will now be collected by carriers and passed on to the Home Office.

It is hoped that the data collected by these checks will provide the Home Office with the most comprehensive picture to date of whether those entering the country are leaving when they are supposed to or are overstaying their legal welcome in the UK.

Aside from being an immigration and data tool, however, it is also hoped that the checks will improve security by helping police and security services better track the movements of known or suspected criminals or terrorists.

Despite these advantages, plans to introduce exit checks have been criticised. Tourists and travel operators alike have voiced their concerns over the excess delays which such checks could cause and many have called for the government to set up a new system to facilitate these checks efficiently.

To this end, a new system has indeed been designed which aims to minimise travel disruption for passengers whilst taking the needs of travel providers into account. The Home office has worked closely with ports and carriers over the last few years to ensure that the launch will run smoothly and without the predicted chaos.

Click here for more information on how the exit checks will work and how you and your family can avoid any extra delay when travelling out from the UK.

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