Besides being the second best airport in the world, Singapore Changi Airport was also crowned the best airport in the world for immigration services by Skytrax. And our airport continues to prove why it's a deserving winner with its latest launch – automated lane clearance for all foreign travellers arriving in Singapore.
From May 2024, all foreign travellers arriving in Singapore can clear immigration using the automated gates. This applies to first-time visitors to the country, and no prior enrollment is needed. This is part of the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA) New Clearance Concept (NCC), which aims to shift from manual processing at counters to automated clearance for people, goods, and conveyances.
There's more to come for travellers. By end-2024, arriving Singapore residents and departing travellers can do away with passports altogether. Instead, they'll be able to undergo contactless immigration clearance at Changi Airport, Seletar Airport, and Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS). Taken together, these initiatives are expected to reduce immigration clearance time at passenger halls by about 40 percent.
All this was made possible because ICA has been progressively phasing in the use of facial and iris recognition. It is also in the process of replacing manual counters and current automated lanes with the brand spanking new Automated Border Control System (ABCS) at checkpoints. There are already about 600 ABCS gates at Changi Airport, MBCCS and land checkpoints, and its capacity is expected to grow to accommodate 95 percent of travellers by early 2026.
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