From 2024, automated immigration checks will likely be implemented at Singapore Changi Airport, allowing passengers to go away Singapore without presenting their passport. In this process, biometric data will likely be used to discover passengers.
The change comes after the Singapore Parliament passed a series of amendments to the Immigration Act on Monday (September 18).
Previously, Changi Airport already used biometric technology and facial recognition software at some immigration checkpoints. However, the upcoming changes will reduce the necessity for passengers to present their travel documents multiple times at different touchpoints. Communications Minister Josephine Teo said the changes would make travel smoother and more convenient.
Biometric technology will likely be used to create a “single authenticator” that will likely be valid across a wide range of automated touchpoints, including baggage drop, immigration and boarding. This will eliminate the necessity to carry physical documents resembling boarding passes and passports.
However, Teo also stressed that passports will still be required in lots of countries outside Singapore which have not signed passport-free agreements.
On the opposite hand, the changes also improve the handling of emergency situations, including pandemics, strengthen border controls and simplify the entry clearance process. The changes also allow for the gathering of passenger and crew data in any respect entry points, in addition to a ban on “undesirable individuals” from boarding aircraft and giving instructions to airlines and other carriers at the purpose of departure to Singapore.
Other changes introduced within the amendments include those referring to the status of deemed everlasting residents (PR). PRs staying abroad and not using a valid re-entry permit are currently considered to have lost their PR status one month after the re-entry permit expired.
Under the brand new law, PRs staying outside Singapore and not using a valid re-entry permit will likely be required to submit an application throughout the prescribed deadline, failing which they are going to immediately lose their PR status. This foreseen date will likely be set by the Ministry of Interior at six months.
Hassle-free travel has turn out to be a worldwide trend, and observers expect this trend to be driven by biometric identification technology.
Earlier in 2018, Dubai International Airport introduced “smart gates” that use facial and fingerprint recognition methods to authenticate passengers. Similar technologies have been implemented at airports around the globe, including: in United States.
Using a digital ID, compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, allows travelers to make use of a secure digital version of their passport on mobile devices.
Source: CNN | Asia News Channel
