Use Eurostar Smartcheck at London St Pancras

Brexit was bad news for Eurostar. They had to add additional emigration and immigration check facilities at London St Pancras and I remember reading the news of people facing massive queues and missing their trains.

The situation has improved now but the station may still be very busy at peak hours. There is a little known workaround though that can save a huge amount of time – Eurostar Smartcheck.

It is basically a streamlined pre-check digital service that allows you to bypass ticket check and emigration at the station. On paper it is reserved for Business Premier and elite passengers only but in reality it seems everyone is eligible.

I just tried it out myself. You need to do the following:

• Download the iProov.me app
• Add your ticket details
• Take a selfie and a photo of your passport
• Reconfirm your trip the day before departure

I don’t think there’s any nationality requirement for using the service, which makes sense as you’ll still go through European immigration before boarding nonetheless.

Once you are at St Pancras, use the very last lane next to the Business Premier track. There are Smartcheck signs at the entrance.

I just walked straight in and didn’t even need to stop or take off my glasses when the camera took a photo. It happened so quickly that I didn’t manage to grab a proper photo of the facility…

Behind the lane was a dedicated security screening machine, which as you have guessed was super quiet.

After that it’s the European border control. Again there’s a priority desk and they’ll let you jump the queue.

The whole process was very smooth, and it probably took less than five minutes between me arriving at St Pancras and entering the Business Premier lounge (with my Amex Platinum card). The next time you travel on Eurostar from London, don’t forget this trick!