Anyone get as tired as I do, of filling out their passport details on immigration forms and websites? It was only like 50 times last year! Then I have to stand in a line of sometimes thousands to be glanced at by a human being or questioned intently by them. London Heathrow, LAX and Sydney drive me crazy with the amount of time I spend standing in line. How much business and leisure time is wasted for millions of global travellers by these processes. I estimate I lost 36 hours in immigration form filling and line standing. And I am very efficient with my airport time!
Surely in this modern world where Facebook knows more information about me than almost anybody else, there must be more efficient ways of processing me?
It was not long ago that to travel across Europe meant taking your passport out continually. On a trip couple of years ago, I landed in Rome and then flew to Budapest. From there I took the train to Bratislava and then onto Prague. I then flew from there to Frankfurt and then Oslo and landed in Iceland. No passport necessary after my landing.
Most airlines enter our passport information into their computers at check in. Can not immigration departments use that information to process us mid flight automatically. Any “doubtfuls” could be identified before we land. A quick scan of our passport as we exit the airport could sort out the vast majority of us and “doubtfuls”.
I am open to other ideas. Just give me something to speed up my life.
(Pic: Bangkok Post)
That would require a complete change of mindset for the bureaucrats. They are currently more concerned with their job security than with improving the lot of travellers. This is unlikely to change.
Could be worse, I get to fill five out every time we travel!
I agree they should do away with the forms. What do they do with them- I think the answer is they do NOYHING with the information on them!
For the Australian ones, they’re mostly used for customs declaration than they are for immigration. If you lie and get caught, they can fine you as you’ve signed the declaration.
As for other countries, its mostly used where a visa isn’t necessary or one is issued on arrival. Its their record of how you entered into the country and where you are staying (in case you were travelling among someone carrying swine flu or something) along with the stamp to authenticate it.
However, I loathe having to hand write this stuff out too. Perhaps an eKiosk (a bit more elaborate than Australia/NZ’s Smartgate) available at boarding gates could alleviate some of this non-sense… I’d prefer to be able to scan my passport, enter the address of my hotel and print off a receipt (with whatever else my destination country wants printed on it) than to write everything out.