All foreigners arriving in Singapore can now use automated lanes at Changi Airport without prior enrolment

SINGAPORE: All foreigners arriving in Singapore, regardless of nationality, can now use the automated lanes at Changi Airport, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Friday (May 17).

Starting this month, they can do so without enrolling for the lanes beforehand. They will still, however, be required to submit the SG Arrival Card before arriving in Singapore. 

Previously, only Singapore residents and foreign visitors from 60 jurisdictions could use these lanes to enter the country.

All departing travellers and returning Singapore residents will also not need to present their passports at the automated lanes at Changi Airport, Seletar Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore by the end of this year, ICA said in a media release.

These initiatives are expected to reduce immigration clearance times at passenger halls by about 40 per cent, it added. 

Singapore “may be the first in the world” to allow all foreign travellers – including first-time visitors – to use automated lanes without prior enrolment upon arrival and to depart without presenting their passports for immigration clearance, said ICA.

The agency added that it has progressively replaced the current automated lanes and manual counters at the checkpoints with those using its next-generation Automated Border Control System. 

As of March, about 600 such gates had been installed at Changi Airport, Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore and Singapore’s land checkpoints. 

“By early 2026, 95 per cent of travellers will be able to clear immigration via automated lanes at our checkpoints,” said ICA. The remaining 5 per cent consists of those who are not eligible to use the lanes, such as children under the age of six. 

ICA can now also evaluate travellers’ risk profiles beforehand using pre-arrival data. This is on top of the risk assessment conducted by ICA officers who are stationed at counters.

Those flagged for security or immigration risks will undergo further assessment by ICA officers, the agency added. 

On Thursday, members of the media visited Changi Airport Terminal 3 to see the roll-out of the lanes using the Automated Border Control System.

CNA observed that it took travellers an average of about 40 seconds to pass through the automated lanes. Some even managed to complete the process in under 30 seconds. 

Australian national Chloe Welsh told CNA that she had previously used automated lanes in other countries but not those with a fingerprint scanning function. Comparing her experience, the 27-year-old, who works as a deckhand, said the lanes in Singapore were “a lot easier” to use.

Likewise, businessman Atul Sethi shared with the media that it was a “pleasure” to clear immigration in Singapore, after having to wait in line for about an hour to clear immigration in the United States.

“Almost no human interaction required. Technology is a godsend,” said the 46-year-old Indian national, who was travelling back home from New York.

QR CODE IMMIGRATION CLEARANCE

ICA also said on Friday that Automated Passenger Clearance System lanes for car travellers will be introduced progressively at the land checkpoints.

Prevously known as the Automated Passenger In-Car Clearance System, the system was trialled in 2022.

Car clearance will be fully automated at Tuas Checkpoint and the redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint from 2026 and 2028 respectively, ICA said. 

As a “prelude” to the introduction of  the lanes, ICA rolled out QR code immigration clearance for car travellers at the checkpoints in March.

These travellers do not need to present their physical passports. Instead, they save their passport details in the MyICA mobile app, generate either individual or group QR codes, and scan the codes at immigration counters.

Between the Mar 19 introduction of QR code clearance and Apr 30, more than 3.1 million car travellers – or about 64 per cent of car travellers – used the method to clear immigration, said ICA. 

It added that the majority of travellers had generated their individual or group QR codes prior to arriving at the checkpoints, which allowed for “much quicker clearance”.

When car clearance is fully automated at the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints, travellers will continue to use QR codes generated by the MyICA mobile app and present their biometrics for identity verification using contactless scanners. 

“This removes the need for ICA officers to man individual car clearance counters, allowing us to open more lanes around the clock,” said the agency.

CARGO CLEARANCE, NEW SERVICES CENTRE

As of April, 95 per cent of all cargo vehicles were being cleared through ICA’s paperless clearance initiative across Singapore’s air, land and sea checkpoints.

Under this initiative that was implemented in March 2023, drivers or traders will only need to submit their vehicle numbers and cargo clearance permit numbers via the ICA website or the MyICA app before arriving at the checkpoints. 

ICA officers can retrieve the information from the back end of their system and clear the cargo vehicles without the need for their drivers to produce hard-copy permits.

The time taken for clearance has gone down by more than two minutes per vehicle, from an average of seven minutes previously to five minutes, said ICA.

To improve clearance at air cargo checkpoints, ICA said it has also been trailing remote customs clearance and analysing cargo images. This allows more lanes to be opened, speeding up the clearance process. 

ICA added that it is also testing the use of artificial intelligence to detect anomalies in the scanned images of cargo.

“This will strengthen our ability to identify potential threats and prevent them from entering Singapore,” it said.

Additionally, the public can also look forward to a new ICA Services Centre which is expected to begin operations in 2025. 

At the services centre located next to the current ICA Building, members of the public will be able to self-collect identity cards and passports without an appointment under a new system. 

The agency added: “As we realise our transformation plans from 2024, ICA will continue to adapt and improve on our plans to make Singapore a safer home, and enable us to stay connected to the world.”