Changi Airport Will Have “Passport-Free” Departures In 2024
Travelling or passing through Singapore is going to be a lot easier next year for travellers.
A report by Channel News Asia says Singapore has recently passed a series of amendments that will allow for end-to-end biometric clearance at the airport and checkpoints.
What this means is that starting in 2024, you will no longer need a passport to depart as Changi Airport will implement an automated immigration clearance system that will allow you to travel through or out of the country using only biometric data.
“Singapore will be one of the first few countries in the world to introduce automated, passport-free immigration,” said Communications Minister Josephine Teo, during a parliament session on Monday, which saw several changes to the country’s Immigration Act were passed.
The airport already has several biometric technologies, such as facial recognition software, for its automated lanes at immigration checkpoints.
However, the changes introduced in the Immigration Act will “reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at touch points and allow for more seamless and convenient processing” Teo states.
Does that mean you can completely forget or not bring a passport? Unfortunately, no. You will still need it for countries outside of Singapore, Teo stressed.
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