New facial recognition technology, which is being rolled out to all e-gates at British airports, means fliers won’t need to scan their documents
Brits will be able to use their face as a passport when returning to UK airports. New facial recognition technology, which is being rolled out to all e-gates at British airports, means fliers won’t need to scan their documents.
The new “contactless borders” are being introduced at Birmingham and East Midlands airports and are expected to cut waiting times. All e-gates at UK airports are set to get the upgraded system by early next year.
These include Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle airports. Passengers will still need to bring their passport to check in and board the plane, and will be required to enter and exit other countries.
The new tech will see flight operators sending passport photos of British passengers arriving at UK airports that day to Border Control under the plans. They will be fed into the e-gates, which will authorise entry as Brits come through the gates.
Phil Douglas, the director general of Border Force, said: “If someone’s face cannot be recognised, the e-gate will ask to scan their passport. If that fails, they’ll be directed to a manned desk and do it the old-fashioned way.”
Mr Douglas added: “We are doing this for reasons of border security. And it also means our workforce will be able to pivot from doing routine immigration to crime, safeguarding, drugs – officers are going to be much more mobile.”
It comes after families travelling with children warned in August to check the passports of under 16s due to a rule that’s often overlooked. Brits who book a last-minute break, or leave it until the week before to check their passports, may find they need to get an urgent replacement if there are issues such as damage or not enough validity left.
Generally, adults can get a replacement passport using the Passport Office’s one-day premium service, subject to appointment availability (£239.50 for an adult passport, compared to £102 for a standard online application). Your passport is ready to collect from the office in around four hours.
But many parents don’t realise this service is only available for those renewing an adult passport. It can’t be used for new passports, and it’s not available for under 16s.
The fastest service available to get a new or replacement child passport is one-week fast track, and you’ll still need to make an appointment and visit a passport office.