Wednesday, 13th August 2008

New requirements for passengers to UK

There will be new compulsory requirements for passengers travelling to the UK from October, Air Malta said yesterday.

The regulations shall be applicable to all passengers independent of nationality.

Trusted Borders, which was appointed by the UK Home Office to manage the e-borders programme, has requested all airlines to provide passenger and crew information of all flights entering the UK.

The data that will be passed on to the agency will include each passenger's name and surname, travel document type, document number, expiry date, issuing country, gender, date of birth, nationality and passenger name record (reservation details).

This information, which the airline will gather at the time of reservation, will be passed on to Trusted Borders 30 minutes prior to departure for every flight. The airline will have to await permission from the UK agency for the aircraft to leave Malta.

Passengers who refuse to provide this information will not be allowed to travel to the UK.

Comments

gaffarena joseph (on 15/8/08)

We were promised that we can go to the UK,just with our identity card only,
Now, we have to submit personal information to go to our european sister island.
Im more than sure that our mep,s are not going to sleep until they resolve this issue.
Soon, we have to submit also,if we know how to sing their national anthem.

Clive Waind (on 14/8/08)

Please do not be fooled by Government propaganda. Once illegal immigrants are here - and they are in considerable numbers - the authorities lose track of where most of them are: even those that they are supposed to be deporting. Also don't worry too much about the info that airlines send in as the Government loses most of its confidential info too. UK crime rate down? Where?

Pamela Hansen (on 14/8/08)

What happened to freedom of movement within the EU? Not only has it not got freer, but it gets more and more controlled.

J Farrugia (on 14/8/08)

See, at last the UK is taking its border security very seriously. With illegal immigrants from Africa coming to roost in the EU, which for me is the tower of babel, the UK is screening everyone who wants to enter the UK. That's the true spirit of security. Britain does not want undesirables on its land and that is its right. It does not want terrorists in its midst. Malta, on the other hand, has failed to do anything. Shame on the Maltese Government for adhering to the Dublin Agreement instead of suspending it. Britain and France are showing the way. It's up to us to take it. They are serving their national interests, We have to do the same. Even Italy now is trying to do the same. And the Maltese lackeys are still complaining about it. Serves us right.

Paul Sammut (on 13/8/08)

Spain requests this data for all arrivals.

The US requests this data for all arrivals.

Last I heard crime in the UK was falling and has been for years now.

Michael Tabone (on 13/8/08)

Well a muslim working in Malta or what ever was a part of one the foiled terrorist attacks. I don't remember which I think it was the poisones gas one which British Authorities stopped before it was carried out.

I think for the UK to take up these measures, MI5 must be on red alert, expecting some kind of terrorist attack from any country. I have a British Passport, and I'm still going to be asked for my details.

"The regulations shall be applicable to all passengers independent of nationality."

In otherwords not just Maltese.

claire roberts (on 13/8/08)

@c,scerri.,.,,.i was travelling in france and was asked for id by police while waiting for a train ,.,!!,..,everyone was asked to produce id.,.,this is common in france where they can ask at any time .,.,.,

Karl Attard (on 13/8/08)

I commute to the UK on a regular basis, and have encountered this procedure in the past when flying from Glasgow to Milan. I have to say that it really is nothing to be concerned about- takes less than a minute to fill in. The flight booking itself won't be complete until you fill in these details, so you are automatically encouraged to fill them in immediately.

Eddie Debono (on 13/8/08)

The inferior game begins again....

Anthony Cassar (on 13/8/08)

Just when i thought that traveling to any EU country with an ID card would have been enough!

Mike O'Hara (on 13/8/08)

Strange, this hasn't been reported in the UK at all. Of course, what is being reported is at odds with the EU, at least in spirit. But then, the UK government is introducing travel restrictions between Northern Ireland and mainland UK, while we don't monitor the movements of highly-paid but tax-free non-domiciled who work in the City but claim to live in Monaco.

Sorry about the rant, but I see my country freefalling into nonsense. That's why my wife and I are trying to move to Malta.

Denis Catania (on 13/8/08)

This is what allowing illegals come in with no papers, will bring. You can't blame the UK. We don't even know, who we are letting in. If a criminal comes in with no papers, 18 months later marry's a Maltese, gets his Maltese passport, does that make him safe to the UK.The UK needs to know, qwas he at any terrorist camps, is he a murderer and so on. They have the right. A Khat dealer already went to the UK from Malta.

Mario Farrugia (on 13/8/08)

This just goes to show, if more proof was ever needed, what a joke the EU is turning out to be. Is the UK a member of the EU, or isn't it? And this from the same people who are so good at dictating to other SMALLER EU member states (like Malta, of course) what should and should not be done. What has Big Brother in Brussels to say about it? And our government?

C. Scerri (on 13/8/08)

What if you are traveling by train to the UK - say Paris-UK through the channel tunnel - do these restrictions still apply?? I do not think so - no one asks for traveling documents between European States??

Why are we being discriminated at just because we have to travel by air?

What has the EU to say about this?

Eric Gahn (on 13/8/08)

This is like 'Freedom of Movement but.......' where is Brussels????

Phil. Press (on 13/8/08)

Maybe it will be quicker, being an illegal and travelling by boat !.

maria busuttil (on 13/8/08)

Attention MEP's an The Bristish High Commisioner in Malta.

I do hope that this matter is raised in Brussels, we should not agree to this, it is ok for non Europeans, but not for members who are in the EU, or better still Europeans, Please do act on this as it is very shameful, after all we all still travel with documents that is our passports.

Thank you and hope to have this matter revised.

An urgent response is more than welcome

Maria

Adrian Cardona (on 13/8/08)

So expect even more delays on departures to the UK. It is ridiculous to expect a flight to leave on time when the data is sent to the UK just 30 minutes before departure time, and having to wait for clearance to arrive. This is one more reason not to travel to the UK, who is becoming worse than the USSR in it's heyday when it comes to restrictions on entering the country. And for what, if I may ask...it is already one of the most crime-ridden countries in the world; it's terrorism threats are mostly internal as far as I know.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

New requirements for passengers to UK

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