Smart Gate - how popular is it?

[yo yo ma]

I'll be getting a new ePassport next month so am quite keen to try it out.

Can't use it when travelling with kids though as they must be over 16.

 

[A330]

I used it on a flight back from LHR, and despite the lines for an immigration officer being 20 deep, nobody was using the SmartGates. I was though in a flash and then when I got to customs was just waved through.
On a separate trip back from HKG I didn't bother with SmartGate as it was possibly the last flight to land at SYD for the night.

 

[Paul_PER]

I use it all the time in Perth. Quite often it fails but then you get to go to the first desk and bypass the queue.

 

[cosi]

+1 for regular use inbound into Perth.

Do they have Smartgate for outbound travel?

 

[Paul_PER]

+1 for regular use inbound into Perth.

Do they have Smartgate for outbound travel?

Not in Perth.

 

[dot]

Not in Perth.

Not in Australia...

 

[ajw373]

Scanned my passport and then got rejected at the gate Ended up in the back of the regular queue.

If that happens in Sydney they have a smart gate assistance line so you don't need to go to the back of the line. It is right near the smart gate but not well labelled. In my case I got bounced because I had been to a yellow fever country so staff had to inspect my vaccination certificate.

I would have thought other ports would have a similar line somewhere.

 

[dot]

If that happens in Sydney they have a smart gate assistance line so you don't need to go to the back of the line. It is right near the smart gate but not well labelled. In my case I got bounced because I had been to a yellow fever country so staff had to inspect my vaccination certificate.

I would have thought other ports would have a similar line somewhere.

Interesting - on returning from one trip which included an unplanned overnight in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia so I had to answer YES to the been to Africa question - I still used the Smartgate succesfully and it wasn't until I got to Customs that I was asked about my Yellow Fever certificate.

 

[SeaWolf]

Not in Australia...

Anyone know why that is? I'd love to be able to use it outbound as well.

 

[markis10]

Anyone know why that is? I'd love to be able to use it outbound as well.

This answer appears to be plausible!

Outbound SmartGate is currently held up by design issues in the outwards clearance areas combined with the fact that children can't use SmartGate. As it was explained to me, there is no room to create multiple queues at SYD and MEL so they can't split the kids and adults to facilitate SmartGate.

As for the idea that A/an nationals should not have any outwards processing, Australians do not have a right to travel. Numerous Australians are subject to departure prohibition orders thanks to criminal proceeding against them or debts owed to the Commonwealth or under a court order. Outwards clearance is necessary to prevent the departure of those who should not be allowed to leave.

 

[cosi]

Outwards clearance is necessary to prevent the departure of those who should not be allowed to leave.

Surely they simply BLACK LIST these people and the gate rejects them.

Also they just prohibit anybody under the age of 18 from using the gates.

It works so well coming into the country, only to frustrate those regular out bound travellers.

HKG has e channels for both inbound and outbound and works a treat.

 

[SYDMIA69]

love it! only been rejected once. Had my glasses on!

 

[ajw373]

Interesting - on returning from one trip which included an unplanned overnight in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia so I had to answer YES to the been to Africa question - I still used the Smartgate succesfully and it wasn't until I got to Customs that I was asked about my Yellow Fever certificate.

That's interesting, out of interest how long ago was this and did the machine where you get your smart gate ticket ask you these questions and you answered yes to Africa, South America. In my case it was November last year and when I had been to South America that's when it stopped and said I needed to go to the counter, which is when they asked to see my yellow fever certificate.

 

[*A Flyer]

Surely they simply BLACK LIST these people and the gate rejects them.

Also they just prohibit anybody under the age of 18 from using the gates.

It works so well coming into the country, only to frustrate those regular out bound travellers.

HKG has e channels for both inbound and outbound and works a treat.

Absolutely. That answer was to a different point where a poster asked why clearance was necessary at all for A/an citizens. The issue for outwards SmartGate is entirely down to space issues and technology constraints.

 

[munitalP]

Used E gate this morning in BNE and it was so quick, what puzzled me was the fact that out of a plane load of 300 or so I was the only one who used it. Had Aussies sprinting past me to get to immigration with their express passes, yet I still beat them to the carousel, go figure .

I have found over the last year or two, the express cards best use is priority access through AG inspection. The smart gate is V fast here and NZ

 

[whatmeworry]

Only used smart gate once at MEL in 2011. The majority of Pax were using smart gate because there were only 2 custom officials that I could see. As the majority of pax I could see had not previously used smart gate it took a while to get through.

 

[totd]

Only used smart gate once at MEL in 2011. The majority of Pax were using smart gate because there were only 2 custom officials that I could see. As the majority of pax I could see had not previously used smart gate it took a while to get through.

I had a similar experience in January. On my way back in from the US there were minimal customs officers and they were directing anyone with an ePassport to the kiosks. I didn't even know they were in MEL. Although in my case everyone seemed to get the hang of them fairly quickly. I certainly don't recall queueing for very long... the biggest delay was at the carousel. I think it took nearly half an hour for my bag to appear.

 

[Cynicor]

Smart gate doesn't work for me, I've tried everything I can think of with the scanners but just won't accept me as being me, or something.

Now I use it to get to the front of the immigration queue at PER which normally works ('assistance' line) except last time when the customs officer processed the whole plane before starting on the assistance queue...

 

[MissBurrill]

One of my friends complained to me that she wasn't allowed to use the express queue leaving Sydney. My passport has a chip and they wouldn't let me down the express queue. I had to explain to her what the express queue was and the chip currently means she can use a machine to enter Oz. This girl also wondered why she ended up with a middle seat between a large husband and wife....

I renewed my passport last year and in December used the smart gate because there was no queue. I was momentarily hesitant because I'm pedantic about being stamped in and out of Oz. I have even asked to have my official passport stamped when travelling on it. I will use the smart gate again.

 

[markis10]

I renewed my passport last year and in December used the smart gate because there was no queue. I was momentarily hesitant because I'm pedantic about being stamped in and out of Oz. I have even asked to have my official passport stamped when travelling on it. I will use the smart gate again.

Why are you pedantic about having your passport stamped in and out of Aus if the main issue will be it takes up pages making replacement an earlier possibility? At any time you can request a record of entry and exit from the Immigration department as required:

http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1359.pdf