Singapore will soon begin enforcing recent immigration rules that can allow residents and visitors to enter and leave the country and not using a passport.
Instead, for those traveling by automotive, QR code scanners or Automatic Border Control System (ABCS) scanners shall be utilized in the passenger waiting area during immigration control.
According to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA), roughly 800 automated lanes using the ABCS system will replace manual counters in any respect passenger concourses at checkpoints. The change shall be rolled out progressively and is predicted to begin in the primary quarter of 2024. This was announced at a workplan seminar held on the Singapore Expo (5/5).
ABCS lanes, which shall be introduced in the primary quarter of 2024, will use biometric technology for safety screening. This is an element of ICA’s New Customs Clearance (NCC) Concept announced in 2019, which goals to enhance the safety and speed of immigration and customs processes.
The NCC system itself was tested at Tuas Checkpoint and Changi Airport Terminal 4 in 2019. In addition, in 2022, ICA also tested the Auto Passenger Check-in System (Apics) for travelers traveling by automotive. More than 94 percent of travelers were in a position to use Apics without assistance from an attendant.
To further refine and develop the Apics system, ICA will work with the National Team’s Agency for Science and Technology before rolling it out in phases to land-based checkpoints.
In the primary phase, scheduled for early 2024, QR code scanning will replace passport scanning at land checkpoints.
People traveling by automotive can use the MyICA mobile app to create a profile and generate a QR code. This QR code might be scanned on the manual immigration counter where the ICA officer will perform a facial image verification based on the info from the QR code.
If the traveler’s passport details don’t require updating, the identical QR code might be used for subsequent trips.
From 2026, Apics lanes shall be introduced at Tuas Checkpoint, where travelers will have the option to scan a QR code and present their biometric data for identity verification, eliminating the necessity for an officer to be present at each vehicle lane.
This shall be followed by full implementation of APICS at Woodlands Checkpoint in 2028.
ICA has a vision of SCNG (Singapore Control Point of the Future) that goals to make sure a “seamless experience”; No visit; A ‘No Wait’ experience for patrons. This shall be achieved by implementing advanced digital, robotic, biometric and automation technologies.
Source: The Strait Times | ica.gov.sg
