FAQ: Looking forward to passport-free immigration clearance in Singapore? Here's what you need to know

SINGAPORE: Imagine clearing immigration on your next trip overseas without fumbling around your bag looking for your passport. 

Some travellers are a step closer to that reality, with passport-less immigration clearance kicking off at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Aug 5. 

Singapore residents will be able to get through selected automated lanes at Terminal 3 using only their facial and iris biometrics - a move meant to cut the time taken to clear immigration by 40 per cent.

It's all part of a wider plan by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to digitalise border clearance. In the coming months and years, the planned initiatives will be rolled out at the other checkpoints across the country.

But do you still need to bring along your passports, and can your children make use of these new lanes?

Here's what you need to know:

Does this apply to all travellers?

For a start, passport-less immigration clearance will be available to Singapore residents arriving at Changi Airport Terminal 3 - and only through selected automated lanes. This is part of a trial that starts on Aug 5.

Singapore residents refer to Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.

By the end of September, when the initiative is fully rolled out, Singapore residents can clear immigration without passports at both the arrival and departure areas across other Changi Airport terminals.

All foreign travellers can clear immigration without passports from the end of September, but only at departure from Singapore.

Do I still need to bring my passport?

Yes.

You will still need your passport to get your boarding pass at the airline counters. An auxiliary police officer will also check your passport before you enter the immigration area.

Passports are also needed for immigration clearance in other countries or territories. ICA may also occasionally request your passports for verification. 

Similarly, at Singapore's Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints, travellers need to hold onto their physical passports as Malaysia still requires them.

What if I am travelling with a young child?

Children under six years old do not qualify for passport-free clearance as the physical features and biometrics of this group are still developing and may not provide a reliable means of authentication.

They can head to one of the Special Assistance Lanes, which are able to accommodate family groups of up to four people, for immigration clearance using passports. 

Children below six will need to be assisted by ICA officers at these lanes. 

How about Singapore's land checkpoints?

Passport-free immigration clearance is possible at the country's air and sea checkpoints because ICA would know of the travellers beforehand, thanks to advance manifests submitted by airline and ship operators.

However, at the land checkpoints, such information is not available to ICA ahead of time.

Therefore, a QR code will serve as a token of identification at these checkpoints, such as the ones at Woodlands and Tuas.

Group QR codes can be stored and reused for future trips if the travel group remains the same.

Singapore has been progressively implementing QR code clearance since March this year. Over 70 per cent of car travellers and bus drivers at Woodlands Checkpoint use this method to clear immigration today, according to ICA.

First-time foreign visitors and those re-entering Singapore using a different passport from the previous trip will need to present their passport for immigration clearance. They will be able to clear immigration using QR codes on their subsequent trips.

The ICA plans to roll out QR code clearance access to motorcyclists and pillion riders by Aug 15, with cargo vehicle drivers and accompanying assistants to follow by the end of the month.

Bus passengers and those crossing on foot will also be able to enjoy QR code clearance by December this year. Family groups or those in wheelchairs will also be able to perform QR code immigration clearance via the Special Assistance Lanes at the bus halls. 

Tuas Checkpoint will have fully automated passenger clearance for all cars in 2026, with Woodlands Checkpoint to follow in 2028.

Which other checkpoints will be covered?

Passport-free immigration clearance will come to travellers at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre by December 2024, and at Seletar Airport and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in 2025.

The Singapore Cruise Centre and smaller checkpoints, such as West Coast Pier, will get passport-free clearance in 2026.

More information on the possibility of passport-free clearance via Special Assistance Lanes - which also serve those in wheelchairs - at the air and sea checkpoints will be provided at a later date. 

Where else in the world can I clear immigration without my passport?

Biometric gates similar to those in Singapore that do not require physical passports have been implemented by various airports.

Hong Kong International Airport's Flight Token is a self-service biometric identification system that allows passengers to pass through various departure checkpoints - from bag drop to security checks and boarding - with facial recognition and without the need for travel documents and boarding passes.

Japan's Haneda and Narita airports also have a service - known as Face Express - that allows eligible passengers to scan their passports, register their boarding passes and have their photo taken at a special kiosk. 

This will then enable a traveller's face to serve as their credentials, allowing them to breeze through the baggage drop and departure security without taking out their ID again. 

London's Heathrow Airport, Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport as well as Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, are also among a quickly expanding global group of airports that use facial recognition to speed up proceedings.

It was reported in 2022 that Star Alliance, the world's largest airline alliance, wanted about half of its 26 members to use biometrics technology by 2025.