Iris recognition immigration system (IRIS)

This section describes our iris recognition immigration system (IRIS), which enables registered passengers to enter the UK quickly through automated barriers at certain airports.

IRIS makes use of the fact that the pattern of the iris in each person's eye (the coloured part of the eye) is unique. A registered passenger looks into a special camera at the IRIS barrier in the immigration arrival hall, and the system compares their iris pattern with others stored in a secure database. If the pattern matches the corresponding one on the database and the registration is still valid, the passenger can immediately enter the UK.

IRIS is currently available at the following UK airports:

  • Heathrow terminals 1, 3, 4 and 5
  • Gatwick North

IRIS will continue to be available for registered passengers at these airports until after the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For information about entering the UK using IRIS if you are already registered, see Using IRIS to enter the UK .

IRIS is no longer available at Birmingham and Manchester airports.

Registration

Registration for IRIS is no longer available. All of our enrolment rooms at Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester airports are closed until further notice.

To find out what to do if your circumstances change after you have registered, see What if my circumstances change?

If the information in these pages does not answer your question, you can contact us about IRIS. Existing IRIS users with specific questions about their enrolment should include either their passenger ID which can be found on the registration report issued at enrolment, or their full name as it appears in the passport and their date of birth and nationality.

Alternatives to IRIS

If you are a UK or EEA national with a chipped passport, you can continue to cross the UK border automatically by using our e-passport gates. For more information, see the Using e-passport gates page.

The UK Border Agency remains committed to the use of technology and automation at border control. We will provide details about the future of these services in due course.