Honduran Immigration Pre-Registration

[Kharon]

So glad I'm never going there again. While my 2 weeks diving experience was disappointing, the airport experience was horrific.

 

[cmaha76]

That's a shame if they stopped, worked like a charm on 4/16... didn't see any problems with people getting upset at the different lines in my short time there.

 

[ReefHound]

In other news, United abandons it's Priority boarding because people who fly Economy once every three years were outraged that they had to wait while those who fly Business class every week get to board first. And Cinemark canceled online ticket sales because those who didn't plan ahead were furious that they had to stand in line to buy tickets while those who had pre-purchased tickets waltzed straight to the ticket taker. Spokesmen for both agreed that it's only fair that those who planned ahead and participated in a new streamlined and efficient system should have to wait alongside those who didn't.

 

[dmaziuk]

Well, on a more serious note, the question is how much work did the pre-registration save the immigration officer. If they have to ask all the questions the pre-registration form does and type in the answers, then it's a significant amount of work and an express lane for those who already did that is warranted. (It would also speed up the regular lanes so one might want to pre-register regardless.) If, OTOH, it does nothing: why bother with it and with express lane for it.

From what I know about how government computer systems (in more than one country) I strongly suspect it's actually the latter: something that sounded like a good idea at the time was implemented on a server in the capital and never percolated to the actual checkpoints.

 

[Brodydog]

Do to the numerous complaints, the Honduran Pre-registration will no longer get you into the express lane at the Roatan airport. When we first started doing this, all hotels, inns, etc received a notification on the program. We have no way to determine if it went the the "correct person" or correct e-mail, but the notices were went out.
We received many complaints from passengers about why does THAT person get to go into the express lane and we don't. We tried to explain that they had filled out an online form and it was up to their hotel/resort etc. to let them know about it, but passengers have continued to be quite belligerent about it. So, the "higher ups" have decided that while doing the pre-registration will save you a few minutes at the immigration agent, you will not be directed into the express lane unless you are handicapped, or are a Honduran resident.

Is this still the current status on pre-registration? Those who pre-register will be in the same line as those who do not pre-register?

Headed there in 3 weeks and really disappointed to come back and read the updates on this thread. Anyone been lately with pre-registration?

 

[flybigjet]

Sounds about right. We went through in Roatan yesterday (8/20). No special line- you go with the masses. It might have saved a few minutes (like two) with the immigration guy, but it hardly seemed worth the effort (especially since the website is s ..... challenge if you don't read Spanish.)

The only way to beat the crowd is to be in the first jet, in the first row and first off the jet.

R.

 

[KeithG]

Is this still the current status on pre-registration? Those who pre-register will be in the same line as those who do not pre-register?

Headed there in 3 weeks and really disappointed to come back and read the updates on this thread. Anyone been lately with pre-registration?

We are headed there next week. I forgot to pre-register (it was in my calendar!) and now it seems like I would have wasted my time.

I may remember to provide an update in several weeks time.

 

[KeithG]

registering online and printing the form was a total waste of time. so was filling out the blue form on the airplane (at least for me).

we flew in via united from houston on a 737 and landed at about noon. there was 1 other big plane on the tarmac but it was empty and every one was gone. our plane was about 90% full of its 150ish total capacity.

the immigration room was empty of passengers as we came into the immigration area. there were multiple guides directing us to the next available counter, only 1 line was formed. all counters serviced the single line. i was finger printed, photographed and had my passport scanned. i was not asked for the blue form (my divebuddy was).

it took almost a full hour for our plane to be fully processed. once through we had to wait for the last person to be processed since they were going to the same dive operation and using the same bus.

 

[Brodydog]

It paid off for us today. We just arrived on the island this afternoon. We pre-registered and I printed out my form even though I read here that it wasn't useful any longer. My husband did not print out his form due to comments here. We arrived on the Delta flight and there were 2 planes of people in line in front of us. After working our way through 2 of 4 que lines outside the building we were standing next to one of the airport personnel. I pulled out my form and said "does it help any if we pre-registered?". She asked how many people were in our party and I said two. She said hold on and went up front, came back and took us out of line and put us in one of the 3 extremely shorter resident lines.

She never actually looked at the paper nor did anyone else. Even though it was a Saturday and extremely crowded they were taking photos and scanning finger and thump prints....the whole works.

I was very happy to be sipping my iced coffee and waiting on the other side instead of standing in the very hot and humid immigration lines.

 

[KeithG]

So it is random.

There were 3 Saturday planes when we arrived and left with no overlap on arivals. So only 1 plane worth of lineup at a time.

For united either get a plane seat at the front or the back (they use 2 stairs to deplane) so that you are at the front of the line.