TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin SXM airport introduces automated gates

Daily Herald story Anyone been through Juliana since this has been in place??

This is the future of international travel - I have seen it already on Aruba - no more stamps in the old passport - there you just scan your passport - have your photo taken and you are on your way - they even have an on line place to complete the immigrations form for entry so you do not need to do it on the plane.

Customs form for departure is also completed at a computer terminal, no hand written form since they have pre-clearance for USA bound passengers.

I was just going to say they look very similar to the ones installed a couple of years ago on Aruba. They are certainly much faster than going through an immigration officer.

I will be arriving on Sunday but I am also interested if anyone has used them entering SXM

The way I read the article, they were in the departure area, and not yet being used for arrivals.

I'm not sure, from reading the story, although it does talk about security. And there is no security when you are entering SXM. And the pictures sort of look like upstairs in the departure area.

Take a look at the PJIA website. It's about barcoded boarding passes, not passports.

http://www.sxmairport.com/barcode-pass/

I believe you are correct, Carol. While the article mentions "Immigration" several times - with a capital "I" - that refers to border patrol both entering SXM and leaving. The article goes on to reference "emigration" with a lower case "e" which means exiting SXM only. At least that's how I read it.

OK, looks like we need to have someone report on their first hand experience and see what happens.

They had these installed when I was there in Nov. But....they didn't work. A human had to scan your boarding pass. I 'assume' this means they are now working. It's only for your boarding pass...before you go upstairs.

The boarding pass scanners are at the bottom of the stairs and were working when we left December 7th. The scanners show in the article are at the top of the stairs just prior to entering security. Those scanners were there in December but not working yet.

Ahhh...thanks. Makes more sense but I will add that we have never has a huge backup at that point. The two main backups are on arrival (totally dependent on timing of other arrivals) and security check on departure.

On our arrival in November the machines were in the arrival area but were not yet in use.

Maureen, I don't remember seeing them there; where exactly are they located?

We arrived Sunday they still stamp passport, look at your face & you are on your way. We don't fill in any forms from Toronto to enter sxm. By the way Oprah's plane is here supposedly leaving on the 15th.

The boarding pass scanners are quicker but you still have to show your boarding pass and passport at checkpoint on the second level. And then go thru security checkpoint which is always the slowest point of the process.

As it should be.

I believe Bobcat and mmk are correct. The article is referring to the arrivals immigration process. I used it on December 27th. The top picture in the article shows the area. You scan your passport as they show in the picture and there is an agent to direct you to open lanes and help if needed. Then you walk through the gate and stand in front of the monitor/camera that you see in the upper left of the picture. It scans your face to match it up with the passport picture and the monitor tells you the status. We were very impressed with the system and I kept telling my wife "now that's high-tech." I was surprised to see them in a little Caribbean airport.

BTW we had a Johnnie burger and plate of baked chicken from the local place in the airport when we departed. Both were excellent and it was great to take off with a nice full tummy. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

So, the new machines are when you arrive in SXM??

This is all getting pretty confusing. Some say it's on arrival. Some say its on departure and others said it's at the boarding gate. Me thinks a site visitation is in order.

Sunday <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

OK, this is not the same article I read earlier. The earlier article referred to the emigration area; this one clearly states immigration, which would be in the arrival area.

No, the new machines are when you depart from SXM...On the second floor before the security checkpoint.

Happy Nude used it on 12/27/16 upon arrival.

Ok. This is getting really confusing now. Arrival for Bobcat and Departure for Julius. Could there be two different systems in play?

Hmmm....I just copied this from the article:

The e-Gates are designed to address the need for greater efficiency and growing demands for high traveller throughput, while the solution further empowers Immigration officers in being able to process upwards of six travellers in the same timeframe it would customarily take one passenger to be cleared through exit control. On successful completion of a transaction, the traveller may then proceed to Airport security screening and continue on his or her journey.
It seems to me that the last sentence "proceed to Airport Security Screening and continue on his or her journey tells me this is when departing St. Martin, not arriving. Last I knew (last March), you didn't have to go through Security Screening when arriving in St. Martin.

Agree about the security thing BUT Immigration is, by definition, coming INTO a country but I can't put that with "Exit control" . Our last arrival was pure chaos AFTER baggage claim because they were checking passengers bags where you normally pass through. Maybe THAT's the normally absent "exit control" .

It is very confusing....might have made more sense if they started the article with "Arriving (or departing) passengers at PJIA now have....."

Sounds right Scuba, machines everywhere you look, we will know more as folks report in with their experences.

...and even better....refers to it also as a faster EMIGRATION procedure

I agree that the article was very confusing and arriving or departing would have clarified for sure so maybe the old saying goes "you can't believe everything you hear or read in the news"! LOL

You are correct. On departure from Princess Juliana. The machines located at the bottom of the stairs scans your passport, you proceed up the escalator where you scan your passport (6 machines) and enter the area where your face is scanned, then proceed through security. All very easy and quick. No machines on arrival in SXM unless they are scanning baggage as you exit baggage claim (only occasionally).

When we departed in December, there were readers on the first floor, where they used to have the manned booths to check your passports. To be honest, I don't remember whether they scanned your boarding pass or your passport, but I think it was the boarding pass. Then after you went upstairs there were manned booths where someone stamped your passport, before you entered security.

Well, now I'm having second thoughts - maybe it was on depature. Great start to establishing credibility on this board. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

It will get sorted out some time soon. No problem.

Everyone makes mistakes, no problem.

Confirmation on Sunday <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

My guess is that they are n ow active in both areas

Yes, sounds like you're right - if this process is anything like the one on Aruba, expect some confusion, some delays, some folks not ready with passports, wearing hats and sun glasses that have to be removed for a photo...little things that can add time to the process...best of luck with this.

This is what I saw when we were there in December. As you ARRIVE, there were free standing machines on the left hand side just before where the people who let you IN to the country have their wickets. On Dec 3rd they were not yet in use (covered in plastic) but it sounds like they are now being used. The description of inserting your passport and having your photo snapped is exactly how these machines work at many airports in North America now.

The BOARDING PASS SCANNERS were in fact being used (unless you were flying Air Canada) and are located at the bottom of the escalators that take you upstairs to pass through security.

If you are facing the passport booths, they were on the left. Several of the covered in plastic.

Yes, those (unused) machines were sitting there at least from May 2016.