Entry and Exit Process for a Pre-Booked Car Park: What Happens at the Barrier

If you have pre-booked a car park, the barrier process is designed to be hands-off: no ticket is issued and the system identifies your vehicle by its number plate. This article walks through what the official guidance says happens on arrival and on exit, and flags the points where the guidance is silent so you know where to check before you travel.

What happens at the barrier on arrival

According to the parking guidance published by London Gatwick Airport, all of its car parks use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). If you have pre-booked, no ticket will be issued. Instead, you pull up to the entry barrier and wait a few seconds for the system to recognise your number plate. The plate is scanned and, once recognised, the barrier lifts.

The guidance adds a specific fallback for the case where recognition does not happen: if your registration is not recognised after 15 seconds, you should press the button for assistance. A colleague will then assist and provide the appropriate guidance. That 15-second figure and the assistance button are the two practical details to remember at the entry barrier.

This is the process described for pre-booked parking at the car parks covered by that guidance. It is worth reading the wording on the official page yourself before you travel, because the page is the authoritative version and may be updated: London Gatwick Airport parking FAQs.

Do I need a ticket?

For a pre-booked stay, the answer given in the guidance is no: no ticket will be issued. The number plate is the identifier. You do not need to take a ticket, keep a ticket safe, or present a ticket at the exit barrier.

There is a separate process for drivers who have not pre-booked, and it is described in the same guidance. If you have not pre-booked, you pull up to the entry barrier and press the button for a ticket. Once the ticket is issued, the barrier raises. That ticket-based process is distinct from the pre-booked ANPR process, so the answer to "do I need a ticket?" depends entirely on whether you pre-booked.

What if my plate is not recognised?

For a pre-booked arrival, the guidance is explicit: wait, and if your registration is not recognised after 15 seconds, press the button for assistance. Do not reverse away or assume the booking has failed without using the assistance button — that is the route the official guidance sets out.

What the guidance does not say

The bundle used for this article does not state what happens if you arrive outside your booked window, whether the barrier process differs between car park types, or what identification you might be asked for at the barrier. Those points are not stated here. If you need them, check the official parking pages and your booking confirmation before you travel.

How do I get out?

Exit depends on whether payment has already been made at a machine. The guidance describes two exit scenarios for drivers who did not pre-book, and the pre-booked case is handled by the same ANPR principle as arrival.

• If you paid at a payment machine before leaving the car park: the barrier may raise automatically.
• If you have not paid at a machine before leaving the car park: the screen at the exit barrier will display the fee due, and payment can be made by debit card, credit card or contactless payment.

For a pre-booked stay, the guidance's barrier description is that you pull up to the entry or exit barrier and wait a few seconds for the system to recognise your number plate; once recognised, the barrier lifts. In other words, the same number plate recognition that gets you in is what gets you out.

The guidance does not state a price, a grace period, an overstay charge or a refund rule in the material used here. No fee, limit or rule of that kind is quoted in this article because none is present in the evidence. If you need to know about charges for changes, overstays or cancellations, check the official terms and conditions and the parking page for the car park you booked.

Before you leave your vehicle

The terms and conditions published by London Gatwick Airport set out steps for when you have parked your vehicle at the reception area. They say you should lock your vehicle securely and leave the keys with the car park operator, leaving only the keys needed to move the vehicle. You should fully close all the windows, put the handbrake on properly, and use any steering lock, alarm or immobiliser you have. You must not leave any animal or person within your vehicle, and any belongings you leave in the vehicle should be in a locked boot and not on display.

The terms also state that the operator cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to your vehicle or belongings if you fail to do these things. Before leaving the vehicle and the keys, you must make sure the vehicle is properly secured, is roadworthy, has a current MOT certificate and has valid tax cover for the length of its stay. You must follow all direction signs and other instructions when in the reception area.

Those conditions are written for the reception area of the service described in the terms. They are not a description of the entry barrier itself, and the bundle does not say whether they apply to every car park type. Read the full terms on the official page: London Gatwick Airport terms and conditions.

A step-by-step summary for a pre-booked arrival and exit

1. Drive up to the entry barrier.
2. Wait a few seconds while the ANPR system scans your number plate.
3. If the plate is recognised, the barrier lifts and you drive in — no ticket is issued.
4. If your registration is not recognised after 15 seconds, press the button for assistance and a colleague will help.
5. Park as directed, and follow the terms and conditions for securing your vehicle if you are using a reception area service.
6. On exit, drive up to the exit barrier and wait a few seconds for the system to recognise your number plate; once recognised, the barrier lifts.

For drivers who did not pre-book, the sequence is different: press the button at the entry barrier for a ticket, and the barrier raises once the ticket is issued. On exit, if you paid at a payment machine before leaving, the barrier may raise automatically; if you have not paid at a machine, the exit barrier screen displays the fee due and payment can be made by debit card, credit card or contactless payment.

Where to check the details that are not covered here

This article is limited to what the official guidance says about the barrier process. It does not cover prices, refunds, cancellation rights, overstay rules, height restrictions or the differences between individual car parks, because those details are not present in the material used. Before you travel, confirm the process for your specific booking on the official parking page and in your booking confirmation, and read the terms and conditions for the service you have chosen. If you are still deciding which car park or product fits your trip, see the planning guidance available on this site at /planning/, and for general background about this reference site see /about/.

Checked 2026-10-06. This source check uses Parking FAQs and Terms and Conditions. It is not a live availability check, booking or personal test.