In an attempt to make travel seamless and hassle-free, Singapore's Changi Airport is set to introduce automated immigration clearance, which will allow passengers to depart the city-state without passports by using only biometric data.
“Singapore will be one of the first few countries in the world to introduce automated, passport-free immigration clearance,” Communications Minister Josephine Teo announced during a Parliament session as reported by CNN.
Often ranked the world’s best airport and also one of the busiest, Singapore’s Changi Airport caters to more than 100 airlines that fly to 400 cities across 100 countries and territories worldwide.
Changi Airport is always using biometric technology, along with facial recognition software at automated lanes along the immigration checkpoints.
According to Teo, the upcoming changes will “reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at touch points and allow for more seamless and convenient processing."
Starting 2024, biometrics will be used to create a “single token of authentication” that will be employed at various automated touch points including bag drops to immigration clearance and boarding.
This will eliminate the need for physical travel documents like boarding passes and passports.
However, passports will still be required for many countries outside of Singapore that do not offer passport-free clearance, Teo said.