S'poreans to have expedited clearance through UK immigration from 2019

SINGAPORE — Singaporeans travelling to the United Kingdom will soon be able to use the automated self-service gates, allowing them to clear the immigration checkpoints faster, the UK Home Office announced on Monday (Dec 3).

In a press statement, the UK Home Office said this will be implemented from the summer of 2019, without specifying an exact date.

Currently, only Singaporeans who are members of the UK's Registered Traveller service are eligible to use these gates, also known as e-passport gates.

Apart from Singaporeans, South Korean nationals will also be eligible for the expedited clearance.

Both countries join a list of five other countries (the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan), whose citizens are eligible to use the e-passport gates from next year.

According to the UK's national tourism agency, Singapore is ranked 33rd on its global ranking for inbound visits to the country, with its travellers making 229,000 trips to the UK last year.

The ePassport gates, which are currently available for British and EU nationals, use facial recognition technology to compare the passenger’s face to the digital image recorded in his or her passport. Those rejected by the gates will be sent to an alternative channel staffed by immigration officers to have their passports checked.

The proposal — which initially excluded Singapore and South Korea — was set out in the UK's Budget on Oct 29. The UK Home Office said that it demonstrates the UK government’s commitment to develop a new global immigration system as it leaves the European Union.

The UK is expected to leave the European Union on March 29 next year.

UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The UK is absolutely open for business from the rest of the world and as part of that we are improving the experience for travellers coming into the UK."

There are now 259 ePassport gates in operation at 14 ports around the UK. The gates can be used by those aged 18 and over, and who are travelling using a biometric or "chipped" passport. Travellers aged 12 to 17 years old are also able to use them, provided they are accompanied by an adult.