The DUB Passport/Immigration Queue Thread

lucernarian

The non-EU thing again, grinds my gears so much. Gives a great image to the country when over a hundred Swiss people arrive only to be told to not queue in the "non-EU" queue...

billy few mates

I haven't had any significant delays arriving at T1 or T2 for a long time now. Two weeks ago I arrived late one evening into T2 and the hall was packed, we were corralled up and down the queue line but I was still out in about ten minutes. Last week I arrived on the same flight and there was no queuing and I was out in two minutes.

One thing I have to acknowledge is the ease of passing through security in T2 on the mornings I fly out, apart from the odd time I've been stuck behind some idiot who doesn't know the rules about liquids, I can make it from door to duty free in less than ten minutes every time.

Negative_G

I'm hoping I wont jeopardise any national security issues here and I'm hoping the INIS users will be able to answer me.

Is there any policy concerning the use of mobile phones in booths by INIS staff while processing people?

As an aside, the lovely LED sign still displays DUNTA over some of the then open booths. I pointed this out to one of the lovely DAA staff and her response was along the lines of "oh yeah we must get that fixed.

Really is no excuse for this. And I'm aware its not the problem of INIS, that buck was passed to someone else long ago.

Took about 3 mins to get through midweek afternoon.

EDIT: This was T2.

billy few mates

Three minutes again for me yesterday at T2, most of the booths manned and no queues.

The Veteran

Negative: many of the phones used by officers are official issue and are used for making calls on passengers. Also we usually check flights and arrivals on our phones as the PCs are set to do “ other things”

Why do you ask?

Negative_G

The Veteran wrote: »

Negative: many of the phones used by officers are official issue and are used for making calls on passengers. Also we usually check flights and arrivals on our phones as the PCs are set to do “ other things”

Why do you ask?

As I passed through, I handed my passport to the gentleman behind the glass.

As I approached I could see that he was getting a couple of swipes through some form of app. I couldn't make out what app it was but it seemed to be media content, mainly pictures and what I assume to be videos. Not text heavy like a news article.

When I approached he stopped scrolling, took my passport. Had a quick look and then either scanned or swiped, I cant really remember, and handed it back and proceeded to continue scroll.

I just thought it looked quite unprofessional. It most certainly was not being used for official business or passenger related phonecalls during my brief transit.

This isn't a swipe at INIS, but if I was in a shop and the person behind the till was swiping away and going through the motions I would feel the same. It gives off a really poor impression. That being said, its the first time I've ever seen it in Dublin so was curious to know if a rule was in place.

Ted_YNWA

No queues going through on Thursday. Getting off plane steps at 15:12. In coach park at 15:26.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

The Veteran

I agree Negative.

The quick scans are real time searches with no retention (beyond the time it takes to complete the return of results)

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

billy few mates

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Only from your selfies on snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and Insta....

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

billy few mates

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Apologies for being flippant, it is actually a good question, as a frequent traveller I’ve often wondered what comes up when they scan the passport and what other uses this info is put to. Some time ago I was trying to claim tax relief for the number of days I was out of the country one year and I was asked to produce all sorts of info relating to my arrival and departure and I assumed they would have had a lot of it from passport scans but they said they didn’t.

Unrelated but a couple of months back I was arriving in CDG from another country, unusually the passport hall was half empty. I handed my passport card to the security officer and he scanned it, as I waited for him to return it his face changed to quite a serious look and he looked at the screen and kept looking at me. He then started furiously tapping his keyboard before nudging his colleague who adopted a similar concerned expression. By now I was clearly panicking as to what they were reading about me and shakily asked was there a problem? :eek:
The two of them just burst out laughing and said no, handed me back my passport and wished me a pleasant stay...
Obviously their way of passing a boring shift but they got me...:D

Jawgap

Arrived back in to T1 today to find the immigration hall a complete disaster zone.

Only 5 booths open and 2 of those were for non-EU. The screens said the wait time was less than 15 minutes, it took nearly 40 to get through.

I get that it's the older part of the airport but I don't think it's inherently inefficient, it's just exceptionally poorly managed. Take today's fiasco......over the course of the week away I was in a number of different airports in a number of EU countries and the only one I couldn't use the biometric passport in was Dublin (ironic, given it's an Irish passport).....the pink hi-viz people were doing nothing (as usual), as in nothing to help the passengers by managing the situation, they seemed too busy flirting with each other or were pre-occupied with their phones.....although one occasionally would shout out 'can you move up please?'......'to where?' I felt like asking.

Then with all this happening the Edit; National Immigration Officials seemed hell bent on making it worse.....the guy who processed me starting asking questions (my usual experience involves being waved through once they've examined the passport). The questions related to my flight, where it had come from, when had I arrived, did I live in Ireland and was I travelling with anyone. Then he studied the card in some detail before returning it.

If they were doing that with everyone, no wonder it was taking forever!

It also looked like they could've opened 2 more booths given that at one end there was a knot of immigration checkers stood chatting and having the craic, while another one strutted about like he was the Walkin' Boss from Cool Hand Luke!

/rant

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

embraer170

Jawgap wrote: »

Arrived back in to T1 today to find the immigration hall a complete disaster zone.

Only 5 booths open and 2 of those were for non-EU. The screens said the wait time was less than 15 minutes, it took nearly 40 to get through.

I get that it's the older part of the airport but I don't think it's inherently inefficient, it's just exceptionally poorly managed. Take today's fiasco......over the course of the week away I was in a number of different airports in a number of EU countries and the only one I couldn't use the biometric passport in was Dublin (ironic, given it's an Irish passport).....the pink hi-viz people were doing nothing (as usual), as in nothing to help the passengers by managing the situation, they seemed too busy flirting with each other or were pre-occupied with their phones.....although one occasionally would shout out 'can you move up please?'......'to where?' I felt like asking.

Then with all this happening the yellow pack immigration checkers seemed hell bent on making it worse.....the guy who processed me starting asking questions (my usual experience involves being waved through once they've examined the passport). The questions related to my flight, where it had come from, when had I arrived, did I live in Ireland and was I travelling with anyone. Then he studied the card in some detail before returning it.

If they were doing that with everyone, no wonder it was taking forever!

It also looked like they could've opened 2 more booths given that at one end there was a knot of immigration checkers stood chatting and having the craic, while another one strutted about like he was the Walkin' Boss from Cool Hand Luke!

/rant

What time did you arrive?

Jawgap

embraer170 wrote: »

What time did you arrive?

1340.

Thought I'd breeze through as I expected the middle of the day to be quieter.

billy few mates

T2, 22:00 last night, total disaster. The queue stretched down the pier past the escalator, way past the two dividing corridors with the GAA jerseys on the wall. Massive scrum/queue for the LH corridor for EU passports, no queue for non EU. Some people tried to break ranks and take the RH corridor only to be sent back a few minutes later. Result, even more chaos as those people tried to reclaim their original places in the queue ahead of other passengers who had since joined from other arrivals, not a single pink Hi-Viz to be seen in this area. We covered every inch of floor of the immigration hall once the queue actually got that far, up and down every line while the non EU queue of about a dozen people breezed through watching us in bemusement. The passport examination itself took no more than ten seconds.
I timed it from the minute I hit the queue to the minute I hit the baggage hall, thirty five minutes, completely unacceptable after a one hour thirty minute flight...

dudara

Mini rant - why do they need to take my passport out of its passport holder? The scanner they use doesn't require it to be removed. Just fold back the page. Then they hand it back to you all arseways

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

dudara

It's a leather holder. I know that they can scan the passport without taking it out. About 75% of the staff manage to do it just fine. It's just that there's 25% that appear to take perverse pleasure in removing it.

JCX BXC

So issues are back and now in both terminals it seems, very strange considering we're now in the winter season and skies are now quieter.

What's to blame this time?

IngazZagni

The construction work in the T1 immigration hall should be complete soon. Then the egates will be open and bottleneck issues should be resolved. I'll reserve judgement until it's all complete which should be soon by the looks of it.

Jawgap

JCX BXC wrote: »

So issues are back and now in both terminals it seems, very strange considering we're now in the winter season and skies are now quieter.

What's to blame this time?

In T1 the automated gates were not open and it looks like they're doing some work on them (fair enough).

Saying that.....it looked like 8/9 kiosks were available, of which only 5 were operating. One double unit looked like it was being used to hold people who need further investigation.

Another double unit was 'dúnta'

Of the 5 operating when I came through yesterday, 3 were for EU passport holders, 2 for non-EU.

They guy who checked me asked me some silly questions......if they're doing that for everyone, it's going to cause delays. Likewise, on the kiosk next to me a passenger rocked up with a non-EU passport but the uncalled for insult removed checker decided to process her, while engaging in some cringeworthy 'flirting' instead of swiftly directing her to the correct line. I'm speculating, but I'm guessing if she had been a fat, balding middle aged he, then they'd have been chased. Maybe the checker though she'd swoon at the sight of his uniform.

Immediately after the checks there were another 5/6 checkers standing in a knot chatting away.

So, I'd say the cause was simply really incompetent management. At the very least they should've had all the available kiosks open. Maybe there was a sound reason for the extra questioning, but I doubt it.....so just scan the passports or cards and move people on rather than play at being detective.

Finally, put those pink-clad wastes of space at the entrance to the hall to do a very quick pre-check and direct people into the right lines, and if someone is in the wrong line direct them to the right one.

Negative_G

dudara wrote: »

Mini rant - why do they need to take my passport out of its passport holder? The scanner they use doesn't require it to be removed. Just fold back the page. Then they hand it back to you all arseways

I've never understood why people feel the need to use a "passport holder". What exactly does it do? Is it a fashion statement? I don't see what purpose it serves to be honest.

Why not take it out of its "holder" before the desk, hand it in, and put it back when you are through and avoid delaying yourself and other passengers?

While not as bad, its not too dissimilar to the morons who seem incapable of following the simplest of instructions at security and slow down the entire process for everyone.

JCX BXC

Does the plastic cover that are supplied with new passports not suffice?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

billy few mates

I also use the passport card when I travel in the EU, I also keep my normal passport in my case in a leather cover to protect it because they do get damaged.
When I do use it I always slip it out of the cover before I present it or fed it into a machine. The passport card is still a novelty to some passport officers when I and at car hire desks when I present it, they automatically assume it’s a national ID card, they’re usually quite surprised when I tell them it’s actually a passport.
It’s just a pity they’re not machine readable at the normal airport passport scanners.

embraer170

billy few mates wrote: »

I also use the passport card when I travel in the EU, I also keep my normal passport in my case in a leather cover to protect it because they do get damaged.
When I do use it I always slip it out of the cover before I present it or fed it into a machine. The passport card is still a novelty to some passport officers when I and at car hire desks when I present it, they automatically assume it’s a national ID card, they’re usually quite surprised when I tell them it’s actually a passport.
It’s just a pity they’re not machine readable at the normal airport passport scanners.

Technically speaking it is a national ID since it cannot be used outside of the EU/EEA, similar to a German/French/Italian/whatever national ID.