UK subjects travelers to exit checks

The British government on Wednesday started implementing “exit checks” at the country's borders, meaning officials have started collecting passport information from all travellers leaving the country, government officials announced.

While predominantly a data tool, officials say the procedure will also allow them to track the movements of “suspected criminals and terrorists” as they attempt to improve national security. Until today, the United Kingdom, which does not issue identification cards, was not able to track visitors' visa compliance record.

"It will enable the government, for the first time in a long time, to have an idea of who's left in Britain, because up until recently it's not been possible for the government to know who's overstayed their visa and who's remained in the country, and they've not known who's here and who's left,” John Vine, former independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, told the BBC.

Airline passengers already upload their own data when booking a flight. But officials will now check or scan the passports of passengers on some ferries and trains that do not allow for such advance checks.

If a traveler is found to overstay a visa, recent immigration legislation empowers officials to revoke individuals' driving licenses and prevent them from opening a bank account, the government said.

The announcement follows a series of proposals by various European Union member states that aim to collect and share more traveler data between law enforcement agencies. One such measure, which was been blocked for years by privacy proponents, would require member countries to retain and share flight passenger data for two years.

The plan for establishing an EU Passenger Name Record database was placed back on the agenda by European President Donald Tusk following the Charlie Hebdo attack and subsequent assaults on a kosher supermarket in Paris, which killed 17 people.

The British exit checks include all passengers on any commercial transport, including train traffic through the busy Eurotunnel, which connects the UK with mainland Europe. In 2004, the government started collecting information on air travelers, including their nationality, gender, full name, date of birth, travel document number and type.

School coach parties of children under 16 who are citizens of the European Economic Area — the 28 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — are exempt from the measure.