From Monday, some passengers arriving at Singapore’s Changi Airport will not need to show their passports to clear immigration.
As part of a trial, Singaporeans arriving at Terminal 3 and using the lanes designated for the country’s new “clearance token-free” program can enter the country using eye and facial biometric processing, instead of passports, according to the country’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
“Residents” as defined by the program include citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.
The program will be implemented at all Changi Airport terminals by September, as well as Singapore’s Seletar Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Center by December 2024, according to Singaporean authorities.
Who is eligible?
Under the new passport-free immigration program, Singaporeans will not need to show their passports to arrive and depart at air and sea checkpoints.
Foreign nationals are also eligible for the scheme, but only when leaving Singapore. Foreign travelers must also register their iris, facial and fingerprint biometrics at manual immigration counters, according to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore.
However, children under the age of six cannot use the biometric permit or automated lanes at all to clear immigration, according to authorities.
A “paradigm shift” at the border
The passport-free immigration clearance is part of Singapore’s wider “New Clearance Concept” announced in May, which aims to modernize and automate the country’s immigration services.
The idea, which authorities have called a “paradigm shift in border clearance,” effectively ends the era of human-centric passport controls, a process the city-state has been gradually moving away from for years.
By early 2026, Singapore immigration officials expect 95% of travelers to be able to clear immigration through automated lanes. The remaining 5% are ineligible, such as young children.
Although some resist biometric processing, is part of Singapore’s efforts to strengthen its border security while enhancing traveler experiences, according to authorities. Biometric processing is expected to reduce immigration wait times by 40%, according to immigration officials.
About 85% of airports will use some form of biometric processing in the next three to five years, Sumesh Patel, president of SITA Asia Pacific, told “Squawk Box Asia” in March.
Two types of permits without a passport
Biometrics-only processing initiation is the second form of passport-free immigration permit now available in Singapore.
In May, the island began allowing travelers to use self-generated QR codes to enter and exit Singapore at two land-based checkpoints connecting Singapore and Malaysia.
A token — such as a QR code — is necessary at the land border, authorities said, because they have no advance notice of who plans to enter or leave Singapore.
Both programs are part of a larger push to modernize border control procedures in the city-state to handle higher volumes of travelers amid a strained aging workforce.
