Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at a press conference in Lahore informed that from today Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is going to start work on the installation of E-Gates/Electronic Passports at airports of Pakistan for the convenience of passengers.
Passengers with e-passports will be able to get their passport scanned/biometric verification for completion of immigration process through e-gates at airports without going to immigration officer.
Valid visa is also checked by the FIA so how is this going to be done through the e-gates?
Theoretically everything is hunky dory on paper but without help in how to use e-gates together with half of the immigration stalls not manned along with everyone in the wrong queue there is bound to be long delays to get through immigration.
b78709 wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2024 4:23 pm
How would E-gates help when they have umpteeen different no-fly lists in place? Chances of one being on a no-fly/ECL are really high
can u elaborate and shed light further on ur comment.. are there large number of ppl on ECL??
Mark my words; it will never ever happen. Our officers are immune to control people, they make money from so many sources and ultimately still there are number of useless people (doing nothing). What would happen to all those?
Just like they installed some (only one or two) kiosk for check-in at Lahore and I have never seen anyone using those. Because officials consider themselves as GOD, they want people to go to them and beg for a go ahead. Just imagine getting a normal passport is becoming a nightmare and then e-passport, I don't know how they issue.
A friend just recently got PK passport renewed. When it arrived, it was NON-BIOMETRIC. it is MRP/Machine readable only. I thought that only Biometric passports can be used on a e-gate and MRP is not valid for use on a e-gate. The biometric profile of the holder is encrypted and held on the biometric chip and that is compared in real time with the digital photograph taken by the e-gate camera. Can someone clarify if use of e-gate mandates a biometric passport?
for e-gates to be effective, the passports might need to be reissued with a biometric chip in them.
Maybe other option is to allow certain nationalities such as UAE, US, EU and UK citizens to use e-gates if they have biometric passports.
A team of experts from France has arrived in Pakistan for the installation of eGates at major airports of Pakistan including Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
nopy99 wrote: Sun Apr 21, 2024 12:23 pm
A friend just recently got PK passport renewed. When it arrived, it was NON-BIOMETRIC. it is MRP/Machine readable only. I thought that only Biometric passports can be used on a e-gate and MRP is not valid for use on a e-gate.
I have used machine readable passport on e-gate machine in Canada. Not a big deal. E-passport only helps reduce scanning of Bio page.
Visas can also be scanned, if they want. Most likely, like other countries, E-gates will be no citizens only.
Its not the technology, rather the mindset.....last night I travelled to Dubai from Islamabad, exact count of number of document checks was seven.
1. First at the airport entrance, "kahan jaa rahe hain"
2. By ASF at the door of departure area, struggling to read the papers and mobile phones through his reading glasses.
3. By ANF after initial baggage screening, "kahan Ja rahe hain"
4. By Airline staff at check in.
5. FIA at immigration
6. Counter check by FIA after immigration.
7. By airline staff just before departure gate, new this time, never had this before.
8. Boarding pass scan by airline staff at the gate.
9. ..............and finally again by ASF while exiting the door.
One hour fifteen mins from drop off lane till departure gate.
On that note, I have a curiosity…. Is Pakistan the only country where the immigration officer asks which country you are going to and checks the visa as well?
P.S. I am aware that they do this to tackle fake immigration!!!
TAILWIND wrote: Sun Jun 09, 2024 1:52 pm
Its not the technology, rather the mindset.....last night I travelled to Dubai from Islamabad, exact count of number of document checks was seven.
1. First at the airport entrance, "kahan jaa rahe hain"
2. By ASF at the door of departure area, struggling to read the papers and mobile phones through his reading glasses.
3. By ANF after initial baggage screening, "kahan Ja rahe hain"
4. By Airline staff at check in.
5. FIA at immigration
6. Counter check by FIA after immigration.
7. By airline staff just before departure gate, new this time, never had this before.
8. Boarding pass scan by airline staff at the gate.
9. ..............and finally again by ASF while exiting the door.
One hour fifteen mins from drop off lane till departure gate.
TAILWIND wrote: Sun Jun 09, 2024 1:52 pm
Its not the technology, rather the mindset.....last night I travelled to Dubai from Islamabad, exact count of number of document checks was seven.
1. First at the airport entrance, "kahan jaa rahe hain"
2. By ASF at the door of departure area, struggling to read the papers and mobile phones through his reading glasses.
3. By ANF after initial baggage screening, "kahan Ja rahe hain"
4. By Airline staff at check in.
5. FIA at immigration
6. Counter check by FIA after immigration.
7. By airline staff just before departure gate, new this time, never had this before.
8. Boarding pass scan by airline staff at the gate.
9. ..............and finally again by ASF while exiting the door.
One hour fifteen mins from drop off lane till departure gate.
I completely agreed, it also took me 2,5 hours from departure lane to gate last time i flew out of ISB. The amount of checks and efficiency of those conducting it is embarrassing for a major airport. And then people talk about having A380 operated to ISB. No thank you, i am already exhausted by the capacity issues caused by having 777s A350s A330s.
Once you have tasted flight, you will ever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward - Leonardo Da Vinci
These E-gates should probably only favor arriving passengers with PK passport. Nowhere else in world people with visa can use E-gates (per my knowledge, correct me if i am wrong). Even here in EU if you hold permanent residence, you cannot use E-gates.
I would however definitely be happy if the E-gates also assist in departure from Pakistan, at least for those who hold residence permits (not visas).
Once you have tasted flight, you will ever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward - Leonardo Da Vinci
faisal-777 wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:22 am
These E-gates should probably only favor arriving passengers with PK passport. Nowhere else in world people with visa can use E-gates (per my knowledge, correct me if i am wrong). Even here in EU if you hold permanent residence, you cannot use E-gates.
I would however definitely be happy if the E-gates also assist in departure from Pakistan, at least for those who hold residence permits (not visas).
In my personal experience I have used E gates at Dubai, Singapore and Taiwan with Pakistani passport (for both entry and exit).
For Singapore and Dubai you can use E gates even on visas. Your visa is linked online to your passport number. When you scan your passport, E gate automatically opens.
For Taiwan, I am a Gold card holder so all I need to do is to scan my Taiwan Gold card at E-gate and it opens up (which essentially means I can enter or exit Taiwan without my Passport).
Despite having a permanent residence permit of the Netherlands, I cannot use E gates in the EU or in the Netherlands but I can still use the normal EU citizens lane in the Netherlands.
faisal-777 wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:22 am
These E-gates should probably only favor arriving passengers with PK passport. Nowhere else in world people with visa can use E-gates (per my knowledge, correct me if i am wrong). Even here in EU if you hold permanent residence, you cannot use E-gates.
I would however definitely be happy if the E-gates also assist in departure from Pakistan, at least for those who hold residence permits (not visas).
Well technologically they can but its just our bureaucracy who would not allow it because they want to see, verify and then double check visas or exiting Pakistanis. My nephew was traveling from Multan to Amsterdam and they made him wait for 2+ hours at immigration. In the end the immigration officer first asked 1 lakh rupees as bribe which he denied saying he has no cash. Then the officer asked to show his bank account. Seeing the amount in $$$$ he asked what he does (online business). He was allowed to board the flight with the condition to teach the officer this online business. Shared whatsApp and was allowed to go
