New Kiosks at MCO

scenicafc · 20 Jul 17, 01:17 PM

I wonder if someone can answer my question.
I've just been told that they have new Kiosks at MCO which means you don't have to queue at immigration but can use these self service things. All four of us have renewed our passports since the last visit in 2013 so new ESTAs as well.

Friends we are going with havn't been since about 2009 so again new passports and ESTAs.

Can we use the new Kiosks, Don't want to get in the wrong queue and then have to go all the way to the back if done the wrong thing, we go next week?

**mick** · 20 Jul 17, 01:39 PM

See this link from the MCO web site. You need to have visited since 2008.

However it's not your choice. You will be "invited" (AKA instructed

) by immigration staff to use them. You will get a print out from the machine which you still take to an officer. You then go through Customs in the normal way.

orlandoairports/getting-...parture-guides

Mick

JAF · 21 Jul 17, 11:47 PM

If you do get invited, as we did in December, the machine does not necessarily save time as we then joined another queue to take the slip of paper to an immigration officer.

robby-99 · 22 Jul 17, 12:19 AM

Yep it actually takes longer now. They shepherd everyone through the kiosks, you do fingerprints and photos for group, get a print out and then queue for the immigration Officers who usually fingerprint a member of your group again. As if you wern't already tired and irritable.

ianc · 22 Jul 17, 12:29 AM

The kiosks are not that new - they've been there a number of years. They have lots of staff telling people where to go and where to stand, so you just follow their instructions on the day. When I went in April, the kiosks were not in use - everyone went into a single queue for the officers - so you cannot be sure what they might be doing until you get there.
New passports and ESTAs, as well as ones close to expiry, can still use the kiosks, if you are told to (I have), provided you've been since 2008. (No idea what is special about that year!) The kiosks just do some of the things that the officer has to do (scanning your passport, doing fingerprints, and answering some questions). You still have to see an officer, but you get past the officer more quickly, as he has less to do himself - hence they can process more people in the same amount of time.

Monolith · 22 Jul 17, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by ianc

provided you've been since 2008. (No idea what is special about that year!) .

I'm pretty sure though not certain, that it's to do with the photograph & fingerprint which started being taken then.

Yordaman · 22 Jul 17, 11:40 AM

We went through normal immigration yesterday, and at first the 'kiosk' queue next to us was short. But half an hour later, it was very long. They only seemed to be using 3-4 bays/officers for the kiosk queue, as opposed to a good dozen+ for the non-kiosk.

Btw, 1 hour 20 mins for normal immigration, which was fine because the luggage didn't come through for an hour and 15!

Guest · 22 Jul 17, 11:45 AM

The bit I don't understand is when you have gone through all the questions and photograh and hand prints on the kiosks and you are approved why the need to go to an Immigration Officer?
This didn't happen in Denver. We did the machine and if cleared you carried on your way and handed in the approval and your customs form to a Customs Officer who threw them in a box on his desk. We were out of the place in under 20 minutes. MCO need to up their game.

There is always the dreaded black cross though. This happened at MCO - nothing to do with dates of passports or past visits. Turned out we weren't on the passenger list! Thank Heaven we both still had our boarding passes.

20 Jul 17, 01:39 PM	#2
	20 Jul 17, 01:39 PM mick VIP Dibber ✓Premium Member
mick VIP Dibber Join Date: Apr 04 Location: Rugby mick's Reviews Hotel Reviews: 1	See this link from the MCO web site. You need to have visited since 2008. However it's not your choice. You will be "invited" (AKA instructed ) by immigration staff to use them. You will get a print out from the machine which you still take to an officer. You then go through Customs in the normal way. orlandoairports/getting-...parture-guides Mick __________________

21 Jul 17, 11:47 PM	#3
	21 Jul 17, 11:47 PM JAF Imagineer
JAF Imagineer Join Date: Apr 09	If you do get invited, as we did in December, the machine does not necessarily save time as we then joined another queue to take the slip of paper to an immigration officer.

22 Jul 17, 12:29 AM	#5
	22 Jul 17, 12:29 AM ianc Apprentice Imagineer
ianc Apprentice Imagineer Join Date: Jun 10	The kiosks are not that new - they've been there a number of years. They have lots of staff telling people where to go and where to stand, so you just follow their instructions on the day. When I went in April, the kiosks were not in use - everyone went into a single queue for the officers - so you cannot be sure what they might be doing until you get there. New passports and ESTAs, as well as ones close to expiry, can still use the kiosks, if you are told to (I have), provided you've been since 2008. (No idea what is special about that year!) The kiosks just do some of the things that the officer has to do (scanning your passport, doing fingerprints, and answering some questions). You still have to see an officer, but you get past the officer more quickly, as he has less to do himself - hence they can process more people in the same amount of time.

22 Jul 17, 11:40 AM	#7
	22 Jul 17, 11:40 AM Yordaman Excited about Disney
Yordaman Excited about Disney Join Date: Oct 16	We went through normal immigration yesterday, and at first the 'kiosk' queue next to us was short. But half an hour later, it was very long. They only seemed to be using 3-4 bays/officers for the kiosk queue, as opposed to a good dozen+ for the non-kiosk. Btw, 1 hour 20 mins for normal immigration, which was fine because the luggage didn't come through for an hour and 15!

22 Jul 17, 11:45 AM	#8
	22 Jul 17, 11:45 AM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	The bit I don't understand is when you have gone through all the questions and photograh and hand prints on the kiosks and you are approved why the need to go to an Immigration Officer? This didn't happen in Denver. We did the machine and if cleared you carried on your way and handed in the approval and your customs form to a Customs Officer who threw them in a box on his desk. We were out of the place in under 20 minutes. MCO need to up their game. There is always the dreaded black cross though. This happened at MCO - nothing to do with dates of passports or past visits. Turned out we weren't on the passenger list! Thank Heaven we both still had our boarding passes. Edited at 11:48 AM.