How long are the immigration queue at St Pancras?

[Helenamuti]

Can anyone advise, please, on how early to arrive for a Eurostar to Paris on Wednesday? Are we now talking two hours before departure, longer of Jess? And am I likely, as a Carte Blanche holder, to get the family through the Business queue, even though we are on standard tickets?
I appreciate the lounge will be off limits, it is just passport control that I am concerned about…

 

[joncombe]

My experience is that you have to join a queue for the ticket gates. Today they were not letting you even join this queue until about 80 to 90 minutes before departure so there is likely little point arriving before then, you'll just be waiting on the concourse. Total queue for ticket scanning, security and passports was around 50 minutes.

 

[higthomas]

Last time I was there, it seemed that a large reason for the queues was too many people arriving early and filling up the departure lounge waiting for their train to be ready.

But they were doing. Agood job of helping people skip the lines where needed

 

[Helenamuti]

Thank you, 90 minutes before departure it is then

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

As a Carte Blanche holder you could, in principle, go through the Business Premier check-in and arrive 45-60 mins in advance even with a Standard ticket. However, it's not clear if this privilege extends to family members. I dare say you can probably do this if you ask first at the check-in because in reality there aren't that many CB holders out there but, like most things with Eurostar, one must expect the unexpected so one can't bank on it.

I would also respectfully suggest making sure you have some water and a snack for each person with you (liquids are fine through security) as, if your train is delayed or stuck somewhere (particularly if the power goes off), the hold up could be long and ES has only a minimal back-up provision. Three trains were held-up at Brussels Midi for up to four hours the Friday before last following a Thalys train hitting an animal near Halle and the barcar stocks soon ran out. Also, during the recent very hot weather, a Thalys got stuck and the power went off. I believe the pax ended up smashing the windows for ventilation.... the train is out of service for repairs. Having been in an incident like this about 15 years ago, let me assure you that it is wise to have some 'Plan B' capability with you. (And, thanks the cutbacks in compensation provision, you will only get 50% of the fare paid back in such a scenario....)

 

[scarby]

I did this today. Arrived at 9.25 for the 11.04. As mentioned they set up a queue outside the terminal. But it barely moved until around 9.50 which I guess is when passengers for the preceding 10.22 service had been processed.

Took until 10.30 to get into departures but as I say had one arrived later I don’t think you’d have been far behind.

Train left a couple of minutes late, I assume no-one was left behind. They did come down the queue asking if anyone was for the 10.22 and shouted this out again in the queue for passport control.

All rather airporty but once on the train all good.

 

[30907]

OK: today at 1540 Eurostar mailed me to say my 1801 departure was cancelled. 1600 arrived KGX, 1605 asked queue marshal, 1610 new ticket issued for 1631 (+45, set swap), 1620 sat in lounge.
I suspect if I had arrived at 1635 as planned I might have been on the 1901

PS and they're offering a refund for the +61 arrival of the 1631 at GdN.

 

[AY1975]

There are at least two other threads on this: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/st-pancras-timings-for-eurostar.232982/ and https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/check-in-times-for-eurostar.234932/