In New Pilot, Singapore’s Changi Airport Ditches Passport Screening

Starting this week, some passengers arriving at Singapore’s Changi Airport will be able to clear immigration without showing their passports. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has launched a trial at Terminal 3 for Singapore residents, allowing them to enter the country using biometric processing of their eyes and faces.

This “token-less clearance” program includes citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders. The initiative will expand to all terminals at Changi Airport by September and extend to Seletar Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Centre by December 2024.

Foreign travelers can also benefit from the new program when departing Singapore, provided they enroll their biometric data – iris, facial, and fingerprint – at manual immigration counters. However, children under six years old are not eligible for biometric clearance and must use traditional immigration lanes.

The initiative is is part of Singapore’s “New Clearance Concept” meant to modernize and automate immigration services, marking a significant shift away from manual passport checks.

The New Clearance Concept is expected to enable 95 percent of travelers to clear immigration through automated lanes by early 2026. Authorities believe that biometric processing will not only enhance border security but also improve the traveler experience by reducing wait times by 40 percent.

In addition to biometric processing at airports, Singapore introduced QR-code-based clearance at land checkpoints with Malaysia in May 2024. That system requires a token, such as a QR code, due to the lack of advance notice of travelers’ movements. Both the biometric and QR-code programs are integral to Singapore’s broader efforts to streamline and secure its border control processes, in line with global trends as more airports are expected to adopt biometric processing within the next three to five years.

Sources: CNBC, Travel and Tour World

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August 5, 2024 – by Ali Nassar-Smith