Some passengers arriving at Changi Airport, Singapore won’t have to present their passports to pass immigration as from Monday.
The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore has announced that the country’s residents can enter the country using eye and facial biometric processing instead of passports as part of a trial when they arrive at Terminal 3 and use the lanes allocated for the nation’s new “token-less clearance” scheme, according to CNBC.
“Residents” as defined by the program include citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.
According to Singapore authorities, the scheme will be implemented in all terminals at Changi Airport by September, and also in Seletar Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore by December 2024.
Passports will not be required for Singaporeans to enter or exit air and marine checkpoints under the new passport-less immigration scheme.
The program is also applicable to foreigners, but only when they depart Singapore. Foreign travelers must also enroll their iris, facial and fingerprint biometrics at manual immigration counters, according to Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.
However, officials state that children under the age of six are not permitted to use automated lanes or biometric clearance for immigration clearance.
Passport-less immigration clearance is part of Singapore’s broader “New Clearance Concept” announced in May, which aims to modernize and automate immigration services in the country.
This initiative dubbed a “paradigm shift in border clearance,” basically ends the aged long human-led passport checks.
Immigration officials in Singapore anticipate that 95% of travelers will be able to use automated lanes to clear immigration by the beginning of 2026. Those who make up the remaining 5% are disqualified, including small children.
Although some people oppose biometric processing, authorities in Singapore say it’s a part of their attempts to improve tourist experiences and fortify border security. Immigration officials anticipate that biometric processing will result in a 40% reduction in immigration wait times.
