Airport Scraps Passport Checks, Cuts Wait Times to 10 Seconds

Singapore's Changi Airport has eliminated the need for passports at its immigration checkpoints, cutting wait times for travelers to just 10 seconds.

The initiative, which fully rolled out across all four terminals on September 30, marks a leap in airport efficiency and security, using advanced facial and iris biometric technology to streamline the process.

Under the new system, Singapore residents, including citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders, can bypass traditional passport checks entirely at what was voted by airport review site Skytrax as 2023's world's best airport.

Instead, travelers' identities are verified through biometric data, cutting the average clearance time by 60 percent—from 25 seconds to 10 seconds.

This change has already benefitted nearly 1.5 million travelers as of October 15, according to Singapore's Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), which oversees the initiative. The numbers include travelers involved in the trial that started on August 5.

The move to biometric verification extends to foreign visitors as well. However, these travelers must still present their passports upon arrival: they can only use the passport-less system for departure, provided their biometric data was captured during entry.

The ICA advised that all travelers, including those using the new system, should carry their passports anyway as some destination countries might still require them for immigration clearance.

Passengers at Changi Airport's Terminal 4, in Singapore, on September 13, 2022. It is the first in the world to implement a passport-free immigration check for residents of the country. Roslan RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images

"The implementation of passport-less clearance is a significant milestone in our efforts to streamline immigration processes and leverage technology for greater efficiency," said the ICA's Assistant Commissioner Alan Koo, as reported by The Economic Times. "Travelers can now enjoy a faster and more seamless journey through our airport."

Children below six are currently excluded from using the automated lanes and need to go through manual immigration clearance. The ICA has not yet announced plans to extend the biometric system to this age group.

Plans for passport-less entry to the country began in 2023 when Communications Minister Josephine Teo announced that "Singapore will be one of the first few countries in the world to introduce automated, passport-free immigration clearance," in tandem with changes being made to the country's Immigration Act.

Referring to the monthly average of 5.4 million travelers that pass through the airport, Teo said, "Our immigration systems must be able to manage this high and growing volume of travelers efficiently and provide a positive clearance experience, while ensuring our security."

Biometric technology, alongside facial recognition technology, was already in use in 2023 in Changi Airport at automated lanes but travelers were still required to produce passports.

This world's first passport-free immigration check adds to the airport's reputation with travelers for its 130-foot indoor waterfall, a butterfly garden, and an IMAX cinema.

In the U.S., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has integrated facial recognition technology across all its international entry points. The system, called Simplified Arrival, operates at all international airports for incoming travelers and at 55 airports for departing travelers. Since implementing this biometric system, CBP has processed over 540 million travelers. Passports are still required alongside this system.