science

PARAFE

PARAFE is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PARAFE rather than just read about it. In short: PARAFE (abbreviation of Passage Automatisé Rapide Aux Frontières Extérieures or automated fast-track crossing at external borders) is a passport verification and border control system deployed in France and operated by French border guards. PARAFE consists of automated self-service gates, located at certain French border checkpoints (in arrival and departure halls) and offer a faster alternative to manual checks at…

Key takeaways

PARAFE belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PARAFE to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PARAFE from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PARAFE (abbreviation of Passage Automatisé Rapide Aux Frontières Extérieures or automated fast-track crossing at external borders) is a passport verification and border control system deployed in France and operated by French border guards. PARAFE consists of automated self-service gates, located at certain French border checkpoints (in arrival and departure halls) and offer a faster alternative to manual checks at desks staffed by border guards. The gates use facial recognition technology to verify the user's identity against the data stored in the chip in their biometric passport. PARAFE gates are available for travels from or to countries which are not signatory of the Schengen agreements.

Eligibility

Eligibility for entry and exit At present, citizens of the following countries can use the PARAFE gates for both entering and exiting the Schengen area, provided that they are aged 18 years or over and hold valid biometric passports.

Andorra Argentina Australia Chile Canada EU/EEA Israel Japan Mexico Monaco New Zealand Peru San Marino Singapore South Korea Switzerland United Kingdom United States Prior to 30 March 2019, only EU/EEA and Swiss biometric passport holders could use the PARAFE gates. On 30 March 2019, eligibility was extended to Andorran, Monegasque and San Marinese biometric passport holders. On 31 December 2020, eligibility was further extended to Australian, Canadian, Japanese, New Zealand, Singaporean, South Korean and United States biometric passport holders, and continued for British passport holders after the end of the Brexit transition period. On 30 June 2023, eligibility was further extended to Argentine, Chilean, Mexican, Israeli and Peruvian biometric passport holders.

Eligibility for entry only (minors) Minors aged 12–17 who hold a valid biometric passport from the above table are also eligible to use the gates on arrival into Schengen territory, but not on departure because the French authorities have strict rules about unaccompanied minors leaving the country.

Eligibility for exit only On 30 June 2023, eligibility on exit of the Schengen area was extended to all adults (aged 18 years or over), without condition of citizenship. Travellers remain subjected to the possession of a valid biometric passport. As of July 2023, this means passport holders from the following countries can use PARAFE:

Albania Algeria Azerbaijan Bahamas Barbados Benin Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Cameroon China East Timor Ecuador Georgia Ivory Coast Kazakhstan Kuwait Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Morocco Moldova Montenegro North Macedonia Nepal Oman Panama Paraguay Philippines Qatar Russia Rwanda Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Kitts and Nevis Serbia Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Turkmenistan Turkey United Arab Emirates Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan Vatican Zimbabwe

Optional nature The PARAFE system is not mandatory. Travellers can choose to have their travel documents manually checked by a border guard at the checkpoint.

Operation To use the PARAFE gates, the traveller must have a biometric passport from one of the eligible countries (these ePassports have the biometric logo on the front cover). A computer in the gate scanner reads all the information contained in the chip inside the passport, while a camera takes a picture of the passenger from which biometric patterns are verified against those from the picture saved in the passport chip. The ePassport gate scanner reads all the information contained in the chip inside the passport and runs the data against numerous databases to determine if the traveller is a security risk, while a camera takes a picture of the traveller and an officer at a control station behind the gates checks that the image captured by the camera matches the one on the passport (facial recognition). Once the data verification and facial recognition process is complete, doors will automatically either open, signifying that the traveller is permitted to enter and/or exit the country, or remain closed and a stop icon illuminate, demonstrating that the traveller has failed the security checks and will personally meet with immigration officials.

Availability At present, PARAFE Gates are available at the following locations:

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris Orly Airport Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Marseille Provence Airport Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport Nice Airport Eurostar Paris Gare du Nord Terminal Eurostar London St Pancras Terminal (juxtaposed controls) Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal (juxtaposed controls) Eurotunnel Calais Terminal Port of Calais

History The previous generation of the PARAFE eGates used fingerprint technology verify the identity of the passenger and was first introduced in 2010. This was phased out since it was considered "insufficiently intuitive" (which hand, which finger), a slower process and non-French citizens had to actively sign up at a French airport every 5 years to be able to use the eGates. The first eGates were replaced in early 2017 for a pilot project of the facial recognition technology, which was extended to more airports and St Pancras station throughout the rest of 2017 and 2018.

See also ePassport Gates - a similar system operated in the United Kingdom SmartGate - a similar system operated in Australia European Automated Border Control systems

External links Crossing Borders: PARAFE, the automated immigration gates

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PARAFE

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PARAFE claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PARAFE before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PARAFE ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PARAFE

In research: PARAFE appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PARAFE in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PARAFE is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Authentication methods, Biometric databases, Biometrics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PARAFE outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study PARAFE in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PARAFE means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PARAFE out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PARAFE in simple terms?

Why does PARAFE matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PARAFE?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PARAFE.