IRIS rapid arrival process

IRIS rapid arrivals process

Help speed up your exit from the airport when you arrive at Gatwick with IRIS, a new facility set up by the UK Border Agency.

Once you have registered, IRIS allows you to proceed straight to the unmanned immigration barriers instead of queuing to see an official.

The one-off enrolment process is extremely quick and costs nothing. Border Agency officers record your passport information and UK immigration status on a database, along with a photograph of the iris patterns of your eyes, which are unique to you.

There is an enrolment room in the departure lounge at North Terminal. Follow the signs for gates 59 to 63. The IRIS room is at the bottom of the spiral ramp (open from 07:30 to 13:30).

Once you are registered, you can use the IRIS barriers at any UK airport terminal using the system.

Can I use IRIS?

You can apply to use IRIS if you are:

  • a permanent resident of the UK
  • permitted to enter or remain in the UK for more than six months and you have more than two months left of your leave to enter or remain
  • at-term visitor to the UK and you can demonstrate you have been granted leave to enter the UK as a visitor on at least two occasions in the last six months, or four occasions in the last 12 months. If you require a visa to visit the UK, you will also need a current entry clearance that is effective as leave to enter the UK and has more than two months' validity left.

For more information on the IRIS programme, visit www.iris.gov.uk.

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