When flying abroad, you already know what the single most important thing to bring is. However, you won’t be needing your passport at this airport soon.
An automated immigration clearance will be introduced in Singapore’s Changi Airport starting in 2024, allowing passengers to depart the first-world country without the use of passports. This was reportedly announced during a parliament session earlier this week.
Communications Minister Josephine Teo claimed, “Singapore will be one of the first few countries in the world to introduce automated, passport-free immigration clearance.”
Named the World’s Best Airport in 2023 by UK-based airline ranking site Skytrax, Changi Airport has been utilizing biometric technology, along with facial recognition software, at its automated lanes at immigration checkpoints for a while now. These will be put to use further, effacing the requirement for passports to simplify the process.
As Teo explained, Biometrics will be enough for a “single token authentication,” aimed to “reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at touch points and allow for more seamless and convenient processing.” This pertains to bag drops, immigration clearance, and boarding in general.
Apart from making it hassle-free for travelers, it will ultimately expedite the entire process. “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,” the minister remarked.
She also reminded that many other countries will still be requiring passports.
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