eurostar FAQ header

iProov.me & Eurostar SmartCheck

Download on the App Store Badge US UK RGB wht 092917   google play badge

iProov.me now enables effortless, secure, ticketless travel on Eurostar from St. Pancras International

Before you set out on your travels, register with iProov.me to expedite your journey with an effortless, secure remote verification of your identity. 

This links your passport, your face, and your ticket together. Doing so ensures that on the day of travel you can simply show up at the Eurostar St. Pancras International station and walk through the designated SmartCheck biometric corridor to confirm your identity. 

No more queues or ticket checks, and you can enjoy this quick, seamless, ticketless experience. You’ll only need to present your passport once – to the French border police. To take advantage of the expedited travel experience, you must complete this identity verification at least one day before your scheduled travel. Then you can go about your day and enjoy your trip!

To get started, you just need to complete a one-time identity verification to create a trusted, reusable digital travel credential. This includes a scan of your passport and a selfie style image captured via your mobile device. Then each time you travel with Eurostar from St. Pancras International, you’ll only need to add your ticket for travel, which will be linked to your digital travel credential held within the iProov.me app.

iProov.me is an opt-in, consent-based biometric face authentication app, which puts you in control of your data and assures your privacy. iProov.me uses the latest encryption techniques and pseudonymizes data, capturing only the necessary information to verify your identity. This ensures you can then be granted the correct access to travel at Eurostar St. Pancras International. 

If you cannot find an answer to your question in the FAQ below, please contact support@iproov.me.

I can’t find/download/install the app from the App Store/Google Play

You may be unable to find, download or install the app from the App Store or Google Play if your device does not meet the following minimum system requirements:

iOS

  • Requires iOS 13.2 or newer

Download on the App Store Badge US UK RGB wht 092917

Android

  • Requires Android 8.0 or newer
  • Requires NFC reader

google play badge

In addition, the app is not available to you if your App Store/Google Play region is set to any of the following countries:

  • Afghanistan
  • Belarus
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Burundi
  • Central African Republic
  • Cuba
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Guinea
  • Republic of Guinea-Bissau
  • Haiti
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Lebanon
  • Libya
  • Myanmar
  • Nicaragua
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Venezuela
  • Yemen
  • Zimbabwe

 

I am having trouble scanning my passport

The passport scan is broken down into 2 steps:

Optical

The app first performs optical image capture, using your smartphone’s camera to capture an image of the details page of your passport.

From this image, we then use OCR (optical character recognition) to extract the MRZ (machine readable zone) data of the passport. 

The MRZ is shown in the red box below:

Optical MRZ

Typical reasons why the optical capture step may fail:

  • Too much glare – this is the most common cause, ensure that the passport is scanned away from strong light sources
  • Too dark – but at the same time, not too dark either!
  • Misalignment – ensure the whole page is visible and lined up with the target on the screen
  • Moving around too much – recommend that you put the passport down on a flat, contrasting surface
  • Camera lens dirty – if the image is blurry or smeared, try cleaning your device’s camera lens

 

NFC

After the optical step completes successfully, the app then uses the NFC (near field communication) capabilities of your smartphone to wirelessly read the NFC chip inside your biometric passport.

In order to complete this step, you require a biometric passport which has an NFC chip. As of 2023, almost all countries issue biometric passports. You can identify whether your passport has the necessary chip by checking for this symbol on the front cover:

EPassport logo.svg

The UK, EU and US introduced biometric passports in 2006, so these days, all valid passports from these countries (with the exception of certain emergency passports, etc) should be biometrics-capable.

You also require a smartphone with NFC capabilities. All supported iPhones have the required NFC reading capability, and almost all Android phones do as well.

In order to scan the NFC chip, when prompted, you should hold the back of your phone directly flat against your (closed) passport (any orientation of your passport is fine).

Passport NFC

You may need to move the passport up or down until your smartphone finds the chip and begins reading it. Once it starts reading, do not move your phone or the passport until the scan process completes.

Typical reasons why the NFC capture step may fail:

  • The phone was moved away from the passport during the scan – once the scan begins, do not move the phone or the passport.
  • The phone is not put directly against the passport – the phone should be touching the passport.
  • The passport is open, or you are scanning a particular page – you should scan the passport with it closed.
  • You have not managed to align your phone’s NFC reader with the passport’s chip – if you fail to get the scan to start, try moving the passport up and down against your phone until it gets a successful lock on the chip.
  • If you are using an Android device, check with your manufacturer that NFC is supported.
  • Remove other potential sources of NFC interference such as other passports, ID cards, bank cards, key fobs, etc.
  • There is a specific issue which impacts certain early-model iPhone X devices, rendering them unable to scan NFC chips – this is an Apple hardware issue and you should contact your nearest Apple Service Centre for additional support.

I can’t remember my passcode, what should I do?

Your forgotten passcode can’t be recovered. You will need to reset the app which will remove all your tickets and personal information from the app, and you can then re-register as a new user and re-add your tickets.

Simply select “Forgotten your passcode?” from the passcode screen and follow the prompt to reset the app.

Someone else knows my passcode, what should I do?

It is currently not possible to change your passcode. This will be added in a future version of the app.

If you believe your passcode has been compromised, you should reset the app. Simply, tap on the cog icon at the top right and then “Delete my account. Resetting the app will clear all your personal information and also allow you to re-register with a new passcode.

You should choose a passcode that only you know, and not something easily guessed, such as your date of birth. At no time should you share this code with a third party.

I have moved to a new device and now I am being asked to setup the app again from scratch

Your iProov.me account can’t be backed-up or migrated from one device to another. Please re-register on your new device and scan your ticket(s) again.

Please remember to securely erase your old device before parting ways with it.  How to do a full delete on the iProov.me app is covered here

I have a new passport. What should I do?

You should reset the app (tap on the cog icon, then “Delete my account”) and then re-register and re-add your ticket(s). 

The ability to update your passport will be added in a future version of the app.

I have accidentally added someone else’s ticket to my iProov.me account

If you have scanned a Eurostar ticket that is not your own you can delete this. Please select and delete the ticket. 

I have accidentally confirmed travel using my iProov.me account against someone else’s Eurostar ticket. What should I do?

If you have scanned a friend/colleague/family member’s Eurostar ticket into your iProov.me app and confirmed travel against it using your own iProov.me account, you and the affected ticket-holder should turn up at St. Pancras as usual but use the traditional check-in process rather than SmartCheck.

I can’t scan my Eurostar ticket barcode using the app.

The Eurostar ticket barcode can be found on your booking confirmation email, and looks like this:

Eurostar barcode

Other types of barcodes such as QR codes can’t be scanned by the app, so please check you are scanning a valid Eurostar barcode.

Currently, only tickets for trains which originate from London St. Pancras International can be added to the app.

These restrictions may be revised in the future with the continuing roll-out of SmartCheck.

I have scanned my Eurostar ticket, but it’s showing the incorrect year for travel.

This is a known issue due to the Eurostar barcode ticket format, and we’re working on a solution. If you have scanned a ticket dated before today, it will show as the following year but it will NOT be valid for travel.

To avoid encountering this issue, you should avoid scanning old tickets into the app.

If you encounter issues with other future-dated tickets showing the incorrect year, please contact .

After confirming my travel, I then deleted my ticket and re-added it. Now what?

When you re-add your ticket, it will show as if you have not yet confirmed travel, even if you have. In this situation, you don’t need to do anything and can still turn up at St. Pancras International station and use the SmartCheck lane.

If you confirm travel again against the same ticket, then it’ll simply overwrite the old ticket with the same one again and you can go to St Pancras and use the SmartCheck lane.

Someone else has added my ticket to their own iProov.me account. Now what?

If someone else adds your ticket to their own iProov.me account, but has not yet confirmed their travel, you should ask them to simply remove the ticket from their account. You can add the ticket to your account, and then confirm your travel.

No information is sent to Eurostar until travel is confirmed, so even if they don’t delete the ticket, you can still add it to your account and confirm travel. However, if someone else has confirmed travel using their face against your ticket, you will need to turn up as St. Pancras as usual but use the traditional check-in process rather than SmartCheck (see: I have accidentally confirmed travel using my iProov.me account against someone else’s Eurostar ticket. What should I do?)

Does each traveller need the iProov.me app installed on their smartphone?

Each individual that is travelling will need the iProov.me app installed on their own smartphone.

The app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

The identity verification process can be completed in a matter of minutes at the station. However, we’d recommend downloading the app and completing the process at least one day before your scheduled travel on each individual smartphone  at a time when you have a good internet connection. This ensures you are completely prepared for your journey prior to travel.

What data do you collect and how do you use it?

You can see full details of this in our privacy policy

I want you to delete all personal data you hold about me.

After you have successfully completed the initial onboarding journey, data is deleted from iProov’s systems and is stored on your device only in line with the privacy policy. 

If you choose to confirm your travel or one or more Eurostar tickets, your personal data and ticket information will be held temporarily by iProov and Eurostar for the purpose of facilitating your contactless travel.

Data can only be shared the day before travel, and all data is deleted within 48 hours of the train departing. In practice this means that any data you have shared will be automatically deleted within 48 hours.

You can delete all iProov/Eurostar data from your device at any time by choosing to “Delete my account” by tapping on the cog icon on the home screen.

Get a demo