In the near future, passengers traveling to Singapore will not need to present their personal documents multiple times during the immigration process.
Singapore has approved a proposal to digitize and automate immigration procedures at Changi Airport using biometric technology, replacing passports from the first half of 2024.
Singapore will enhance the use of biometric technology in the immigration process at the airport to replace passports, providing a more convenient travel experience for passengers. At Changi Airport, an individual’s identity will be confirmed through unique physical features such as fingerprints and iris scans. Biometric characteristics will be used to create a unique confirmation code for each person during the immigration process at the airport, from checking luggage to entering the country and boarding the plane.
Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information of Singapore, stated, “Singapore will be one of the few countries to implement passport-free automated immigration procedures.”
This will help passengers avoid presenting their personal documents multiple times during immigration, making the travel experience more convenient. Detailed information about the entry and exit procedures has not yet been announced.
Since lifting border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore has seen a significant increase in the number of tourists. Official figures show that from January to August 2023, Singapore welcomed 9.01 million visitors, more than triple the number during the same period in 2022. Changi Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, processed 5.15 million passengers in just the month of August.
Minister Teo believes that Singapore’s immigration system must be able to handle this high and growing volume of tourists while ensuring security. She mentioned that passenger volumes are predicted to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and continue to increase thereafter.
Singapore’s decision comes after many other passenger transport hubs in Asia, such as Hong Kong (China) and Japan, have implemented biometric technology.
@Cafef