Automated Border Control 1. What does PARAFES stand for? PARAFES (translated from French) means Automated Fast Track Crossing at External Schengen Borders. 2. Is registration with PARAFES free? Yes. 3. Where and when can passengers register on the PARAFES system? Passengers can register by going to one of the specially-adapted facilities, from Monday to Friday, 6.00 AM to 9.30 PM. 4. Where are the registration areas? At Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport : - Terminal 1: Departures level by gate 24 ; - Terminal 2 E: Departures level by gate 10. At Paris Orly Airport : - Orly Sud: Departures level Boarding Area A. 5. Can passengers register online? No. They must go in person, with a valid passport, and have their fingerprints taken. 6. What information is required at registration? Passengers must go in person with their passport. Information taken relates to the passenger s identity, such as surname, place of birth and nationality. Fingerprints are also taken. This system also includes information relating to automated processing of passports, such as the registration number, type and expiry date. This information is kept for 5 years from the date of registration. 7. What is a passport with a machine-readable strip? A machine-readable strip is made up of alphanumeric characters. It is similar to a bar code to enable scanning, but has different characters according to the country of origin, due to the different codes used. 8. Do passengers receive a card to confirm they have registered and which allows them to enter the airlock gate? No. Registration is confirmed when passengers register in the lounges. Passports allow you to enter the airlock gate. 1
9. Can passengers be refused registration on the PARAFES system? Yes, for technical reasons, if the passport is not legible or valid. 10. What is the biometric data used for PARAFES? When passengers register, prints from 8 fingers will be taken (except thumb). Before leaving the airlock gate, their identity is authenticated by placing one finger on the scanner, but not the thumb. 11. Which nationalities can use the PARAFES system? Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Union and the Swiss Confederation are eligible for the PARAFES system. This also applies to persons, of any nationality, who hold a residence permit marked European Union citizen family member. In all cases, passengers must be in possession of a machine-readable passport. Eligible countries are: and Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Swiss Confederation and the United Kingdom. 12. Can any adult family members of a national of the European Union, the European Economic Union or the Swiss Confederation register on the PARAFES system? Only persons who are in possession of a European residence permit marked European Union citizen family member can register with PARAFES. 13. If passengers who are nationals of a state outside the European Union are already registered on the PARAFES system owing to their family member status, and loses this status, are they still allowed to use PARAFES? If, for any reason, passengers no longer have the status of European Union family member, they are no longer eligible for the PARAFES system. They must inform the officials at the registration areas of this without delay, who will de-register them. Any illegal use of the airlock gate is punishable by law. 2
14. Is it possible to register a few days before reaching majority age? No. Eligibility for the system is strictly reserved for adults. 15. If passengers are travelling with minors, can they enter the airlock gate without an adult? No. Only adults may use this facility. Parents are therefore asked to remain with their children during the manual control carried out by customs officials at control booths. 16. Can pregnant women use the PARAFES system? Yes. 17. Can passengers use PARAFES with their national identity card? No, not even in cases where the destination country requires only a national identity card to cross its borders. This document does not allow passengers to use the airlock gate, which requires them to insert their registered passport in the terminal. 18. If any passengers have changed their passport, what should they do? They should return to the registration lounge with their new passport, and the information will be registered by a police officer. 19. If any passengers have had their passport stolen, what should they do? If they are registered on the PARAFES system, they can place a stop on registration. In any case, if the passport fails to be authenticated by the biometric data, it cannot be used fraudulently by another person. 20. If a passenger s passport is out of date, what should they do? To be registered and to be able to use the PARAFES airlock gate, passengers must have a current passport which is valid for at least 6 months after departure. They should therefore go to the registration lounge with their extended passport or new passport. 3
21. If passengers passports are not biometric or electronic, can they use the PARAFES system? Yes. Passports issued before 2005 (when electronic passports began) have a machine readable strip. 22. Can passengers enter the automatic security gate with a piece of luggage? Yes. 23. Can passengers use the PARAFES automatic security gate using a biometric passport without having registered beforehand? No. Prior registration is now essential. 24. Can passengers pass through the PARAFES airlock gate without a boarding card? No. Passing through the airlock gate is equivalent to crossing the border, and is therefore subject to strict international regulations. Any person who does not have a valid boarding card runs the risk of a fine of up to 750 Euros, without prejudice to cancellation of their registration on the PARAFES system. 25. Can passengers use PARAFES if their airport of departure and arrival are different? As the database is national, registration is valid for all airports using the system. 26. How long does it take to pass through the airlock gate? Normally, the average time to pass through the airlock gate is 30 seconds. 27. Does using the PARAFES automatic security gate exempt passengers from customs control? No. 28. What happens if the exit door of the airlock gate does not open? The border police, who are responsible for supervising the airlock gate, will deal with the passenger without delay. Where required, the officer will deal with the situation on an individual basis. 4
29. Can passengers still pass through using the customs booths? Registration on the PARAFES system does not exclude passengers from crossing the border via the customs booths by common law. 30. If passengers do not use PARAFES for a prolonged period of time, will their registration be suspended or revoked? Registration on the system will remain valid for 5 years, subject to the expiry date of the passport, even if it is used infrequently, or not at all. 31. What should passengers do if they no longer want to be registered with PARAFES? Passengers have the discretionary right to withdraw from the system. Therefore, if passengers wish to cancel their registration, they are required only to make a verbal request to the police officer in the registration lounge or make a written request to border police management at the airports in question. In this case, when they cancel registration, their personal information will be deleted immediately. 32. Will other French airports be using the PARAFES system in future? For now, Orly Airport and Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport will be equipped with PARAFES. Provincial airports will be equipped with this facility at a later late. 33. Does access to the PARAFES system give priority at check-in or baggage reclaim? No. The PARAFES system is intended to facilitate the crossing of borders. It is not related to, or dependent upon, any right of priority provided by airlines (1st class ticket, for example). 5
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