Passengers arriving to the UK will be able to pass through airport e-gates without showing their passport under a new contactless system currently being rolled out.
East Midlands Airport became the first UK airport to introduce the technology yesterday (6 October), with all UK e-gates due to be upgraded by early 2027.
E-gates are currently available at Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted airports.
The system uses facial recognition technology to photograph passengers as they approach the gate and check their identity against verified immigration and passport information.
If the checks are successful, the gate opens automatically without passengers needing to scan their passport.
Passengers who require further checks may still be asked to scan their passport or be referred to a Border Force officer.
Government testing found the contactless system was up to 25% faster than using a passport at an e-gate, as reported by the BBC.
Travellers still must keep their passports with them at all times, and Border Force officers will continue to monitor the gates.
The rollout, which is being introduced through software updates rather than by replacing the existing e-gates, will initially apply to British citizens before being expanded to other nationalities who are already eligible to use e-gates.
Border Force Director General Phil Douglas said: “This is a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country.
“By using state-of-the-art technology, we are making journeys smoother and faster, all while fully maintaining the UK’s robust border security.
“Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend e-gates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families.”
