Starting Monday, some travelers arriving at Singapore Changi Airport will not need to show their passports for immigration clearance.
Singapore residents arriving at Terminal 3 use designated lanes under the country’s new Tokenless Clearance scheme as part of a trial According to the country’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, it is possible to enter the country using eye and facial biometric processing instead of a passport.
The program defines “residents” to include citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.
The program will be rolled out to all terminals at Changi Airport by September, and to Seletar Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore by December 2024, according to Singapore authorities.
Who is eligible?
Under the new passport-less immigration scheme, Singapore residents will not need to present their passports upon arrival and departure at air and sea checkpoints.
Foreigners are also eligible for the scheme, but only when leaving Singapore. According to the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, foreign travelers must also register their iris, facial and fingerprint biometric information at manned immigration counters.
However, children under the age of six cannot use biometric clearance or automated lanes for immigration clearance at all, according to authorities.
A ‘paradigm shift’ at the border
Passport-less immigration checks are part of a wider “new check concept” announced by Singapore in May to modernize and automate the country’s immigration services.
The concept, described by authorities as a “paradigm shift in border clearance”, effectively ends the era of human-led passport checks, a process the city-state has been gradually abandoning for years.
By early 2026, Singapore immigration officials expect that 95% of travelers will be able to clear immigration through automated lanes. The remaining 5% are people who are ineligible, such as young children.
Although biometric processing is met with resistance from someAccording to authorities, this is part of Singapore’s efforts to strengthen border security while enhancing visitor experience. According to immigration officials, biometric processing is expected to reduce immigration wait times by 40%.
SITA Asia Pacific president Sumesh Patel told “Squawk Box Asia” in March that about 85% of airports will use some form of biometric processing within the next three to five years.
Two types of passport-free customs clearance
The introduction of biometric-only processing is the second form of passport-less immigration control currently offered in Singapore.
In May, the island began allowing visitors to use self-generated electricity QR codes for entering and exiting Singapore at the two land checkpoints connecting Singapore and Malaysia.
A token – e.g. Authorities said QR codes are necessary at land borders because they do not notify in advance who plans to enter or leave Singapore.
Both projects are part of a larger effort to modernize the city-state’s border control procedures to manage higher passenger volumes amid a challenging situation with an aging workforce.
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