Singapore Says Goodbye to Passport Checks: Biometric Revolution at Changi airport

From Monday, passengers arriving at Singapore's Changi Airport would no longer need to show their passport to clear immigration. This is because Singaporean residents can now use designated lanes that use the country's new "token-less clearance" program while entering the country using eye and facial biometrics processing, rather than showing their passport. Authorities said that this form of clearance process reduces the time taken by travellers to clear immigration by 40%.

This program would be eligible for all Singapore residents, which includes citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders. Foreigners are also eligible for the program, but only when leaving Singapore. Foreign travelers must also enroll their Iris, facial and fingerprint biometrics at manual immigration counters first before they can try out the program.

At this point of time, the program is limited to designated lanes at Terminal 3 of Changi Airport. But by the end of September, this program will be available at all terminals at Changi Airports, as well as Singapore's Seletar Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Centre by the end of December 2024.

What is the reason behind this upgrade?

The creation of a 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. The concept will be a progressive shift away from human-led passport checks. Singapore aims to allow up to 95% of travelers to clear immigration via automated lanes, with the exception of young children who fall under the remaining 5%.

To manage the increasing influx of travelers, Singapore is exploring technological solutions. With a growing population but an aging workforce, the nation faces challenges in expanding its human resources for immigration services. Technology offers a potential solution to this growing strain.

Just don't leave your passport at home just yet

While it is true that you might no longer need to produce your passport in the future when you are going through Singapore's customs, you should still bring your passport because you would still need it at the immigration centre of the other country.

Singapore obviously is not the first country to adopt seamless travelling. Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan, London and France are among the other airports who have also adopted similar facial recognition technology in their airports. In the US, major airlines like American Airlines, United and Delta have been experimenting with biometric check-in, bag drops and boarding gates at selected airports for the last couple of years.

The impact that immigration would have on the economy of Singapore

Singapore will be the first in the world to implement token-less clearance on a large scale, and this will definitely be a huge game changer for the country especially when it comes to our economic activity with our neigbouring country, Malaysia. Experts have said that having both passport-free travel and digitised cargo clearance will allow investors, employers, and employees on both sides of the border to increasingly see Johor and Singapore as part of an integrated area where goods and people can move freely and efficiently. This will significantly facilitate greater economic activity beyond what can be seen at current juncture.