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Automated Border Checks
How do the automated lanes work? When arriving at the border control lanes, the traveller must first place their biometric passport in the reader, which will read and check the information contained in the document. In the next stage the device will compare the facial image obtained in real time using a camera with the facial image scanned from the passport. The lane door will open automatically once the system has performed the minimum check. Following this, the border check of a non-EU/ETA/CH citizen will proceed with a check of the visa or residence permit required and with the entry interview. Once the passport has been read, the visa is verified using the reader and a fingerprint scan in which the person's fingerprints are checked against the fingerprints entered in the EU visa database when they applied for the visa. This function will not, however, be introduced until the EU has switched over to the Visa Information System (VIS). Until then travellers who are subject to the visa requirement but have not been awarded "Well-Known traveller" status must use the old manned border control lanes. The last stage of the thorough border check is the automated entry interview. To do this, the traveller must select their preferred language and then answer the questions made on the screen by touching the correct alternative on the same screen. This completes the thorough check and the doors will open. The functioning and security of the lanes is monitored by border control officers. They participate in the process at the automated lanes and conduct the border check if any problems arise with a traveller's documents, identification or entry interview or if so required by the traveller's security.
Who can use the automated lanes? Automated border checks will continue to be available to citizens of EU member states, citizens of countries that apply the Schengen Borders Code as well as those of Switzerland and Liechtenstein at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. At the Vaalimaa border crossing point the automated lanes are available from 9 December 2009 to: from a date to be announced later all those specified above plus those not holding a biometric passport who are:
Biometric passports A biometric passport (e-passport) contains a computer chip and can be distinguished from other passports by the presence of the biometric symbol on its cover. The symbol may also be found at the bottom of the cover.
Are self-service and automated border checks available anywhere else? Automated systems for EU/ETA/CH citizens are available for external border checks at airports such as Lisbon, Faro and Funchal in Portugal and Manchester in the UK.
Who are "Well-Known travellers"? A "Well-Known traveller" is a traveller who is known by local border check officers, regularly crosses the border using the same border crossing point and can be regarded as a bona fide traveller. The purpose of awarding certain travellers this status is to enable smoother while still safe crossings for travellers who meet these conditions. This also makes the border formalities smoother for other travellers too. Travellers cannot apply for the status of Well-Known traveller. Instead, the status is awarded by the border crossing station or border control section on its own initiative. The status is temporary and only valid at the border crossing point in question. The awarding and cancellation of the status of Well-Known traveller are not administrative decisions. Instead, this is a special arrangement of the Finnish Border Guard under the Schengen Borders Code. Therefore decisions regarding the status are not appealable.  Back | Print page |
Automated border checks are a system based on traveller self-service to carry out border checks in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code. Citizens of EU/ETA/CH countries are only subjected to a minimum check. This comprises the verification of the identity of the individual and examination of document authenticity by making use of a valid passport and information retrieved from the chip inside the passport. Other travellers are subjected to the minimum check plus a more thorough check. This involves an automated check of not only the passport but also a visa or residence permit, if required, and an automated entry interview. 
