Speed Through Immigration
Coming back from the holidays, I was struck by the fact that still - after way more than a year (it launched in March 2006) - not many people are using IRIS. So it's a little Big Brother (in the Orwell, not TV, way). It gets you through immigration in a jiffy - when it works, of course.
Registering for IRIS takes about five minutes, it's free, and you do it before your outbound flight. Most enrolment offices are located just past security, and are open from early morning until evening. (When I registered more than a year ago, it did take three attempts to find an open office, but those were still the relatively early days.)
To enrol, show your passport and boarding card, have your photo taken, answer a few questions and that's it - you're set for the life of your passport or visa, good to enter the country at any Heathrow or Gatwick terminal (with more to come, like St Pancras, we hope).
The scheme accepts kids over the age of eight, and it doesn't mind you wearing glasses or contacts.
On the dozen or so flights I've taken to the UK since registering for IRIS, only twice has it not worked. And only once was the queue long enough to mention.
When those things happen, just go through the old way, and feel a little disappointed you can't be among the elite few who are truly globetrotting.
For more information on IRIS, click here.
To read the Frequently Asked Questions, click here.
To enrol, show your passport and boarding card, have your photo taken, answer a few questions and that's it - you're set for the life of your passport or visa, good to enter the country at any Heathrow or Gatwick terminal (with more to come, like St Pancras, we hope).
The scheme accepts kids over the age of eight, and it doesn't mind you wearing glasses or contacts.
On the dozen or so flights I've taken to the UK since registering for IRIS, only twice has it not worked. And only once was the queue long enough to mention.
When those things happen, just go through the old way, and feel a little disappointed you can't be among the elite few who are truly globetrotting.
For more information on IRIS, click here.
To read the Frequently Asked Questions, click here.
Here Is The Writer : Sarah Western
Sarah Western Balzer is the managing director of HITC Life and is always on the hunt for reader-writers, so if you're one, make yourself known (sarah.western@hereisthecity.com). Sarah's other job is running a business that helps expats with lifestyle relocation, and is always on the hunt for clients, so - you guessed it: www.arrivalslimited.com. Sarah moved to London five years ago from New York but is originally from Florida, and still suntans like it's 1989. She is so grateful to the banker who introduced her to Here Is The City that she married him, and they live in Wapping with their son.
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