How Singapore Airport allows you to clear immigration in just 10 seconds

Immigration clearance in just 10 seconds? You read that right.

Singapore’s Changi Airport, one of the busiest in the world, has introduced passport-free immigration clearance across all four terminals. This initiative, launched on September 20, 2024, is aimed at making travel easy for millions of passengers.

With over 280 dining and shopping outlets, a cinema, and a hotel, Changi Airport is a traveller’s paradise. Its iconic, doughnut-shaped steel and glass structure has lush gardens and the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, the “Rain Vortex.”

According to Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), this shift in technology has reduced average immigration clearance times by 60%, from 25 seconds to just 10 seconds.

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What is the new initiative?

Often rated among the best, Changi Airport now offers passport-free immigration at all four passenger terminals. Facial recognition and iris biometrics have allowed passengers to clear immigration quickly.

Singapore residents including citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders - can now pass through immigration using only their facial and iris biometrics.

However, children under six are not eligible for automated immigration lanes.

What about international visitors?

The international visitors to Singapore can now also enjoy passport-free immigration when departing, as their biometric data is recorded upon arrival, according to the ICA.

“All foreign visitors will still need to present their passport for immigration clearance upon arrival in Singapore,” the ICA reminded travellers, advising them to carry passports for immigration clearance at their destination countries.

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Is the initiative successful?

In an official statement on Thursday, October 24, Singapore’s ICA announced that by October 15, just 15 days after the initiative’s full rollout, 1.5 million travellers had cleared immigration without showing a passport.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Alan Koo, Commander (Airport) at ICA, confirmed that the initiative has reduced average clearance time per traveller by 60%, from 25 seconds to just 10.

“With automated clearance being the norm at our checkpoints, our officers are now redeployed to take on higher-value job roles, such as interviewing and profiling, to safeguard Singapore’s borders,” he said.

Md Firdaus Rosli, Checkpoint Inspector at ICA, who has witnessed the system in action, said that it has provided relief to both officers and travellers. Earlier, immigration clearance was a fully manual process at the counters, leading to long queues and delays.

Speaking to Channel News Asia, Firdaus recalled, “Usually there will be long queues and longer waiting time for all the travellers, and that will put stress and pressure on the officers seeing the long queues building up. The travellers also feel very lethargic, and sometimes there’ll be complaints.”

“The new clearance concept … has reduced the time significantly.”

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He also mentioned that the system’s multilingual interface, including languages like Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin, helps bridge language gaps with foreign visitors.

What are the visitors saying?

Eric Taufan, a mergers and acquisitions consultant, was among the first to use the new biometric system when it launched trials in August.

Speaking to Channel News Asia, he said, “It’s really cool actually. I wish other countries, especially in the region, would start adopting the system.” He also said that he has not faced any challenges using the system, especially during the last four weeks when his travel schedule was more intense.

British national Andy Bingham, a 61-year-old energy sector director residing in Singapore, tried the system for the first time last week and found it fast and efficient.

“I don’t want to say bad things about other people’s passport systems, but I’ve been to some where you put your passport in and the machine doesn’t even recognise the passport,” he told the media outlet.

The system is set for further expansion, with Marina Bay Cruise Centre scheduled to implement the technology in December.

Indian tourists in Singapore

Indian arrivals in Singapore grew by 13% in the first nine months of 2024, reaching 898,180, according to figures released by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on October 25.

As the city gears up for its year-end celebrations in the Orchard Road area, India remains Singapore’s third-largest tourist market, after Indonesia and China.

In 2023, Singapore welcomed over a million visitors from India, an STB spokesperson told PTI during the launch of the festive calendar by the Orchard Road Business Association.

The ‘New Clearance Concept’

Singapore’s “New Clearance Concept,” unveiled in May, aims to advance border security by shifting to biometric processing. Officials expect that manual passport checks could be largely eliminated by early 2026, as 95% of travellers are expected to use automated lanes.

ICA Commander Alan Koo stated that the initiative will allow personnel to focus on high-value tasks like security profiling, which supports the agency in addressing the challenges posed by an ageing workforce and rising traveller numbers.

Although Singapore’s immigration now relies on biometric data, travellers are still advised to carry their passports, as these may be needed for immigration checks at their final destinations.