The Home Office has announced that passport e-gates at UK airports will soon be accessible to younger children, a move set to benefit millions of families. Starting 8 July, children aged eight and nine returning to the UK will be eligible to use the automated gates, which employ facial recognition technology for identity verification. This process is generally quicker than manual inspections by Border Force officers.
Eligibility and Requirements
To use the e-gates, children must be at least 120cm tall so they can be properly seen by the biometric scanners. They must also be accompanied by an adult. Previously, passengers under 10 years old were prohibited from using the gates, often resulting in longer queues for families at traditional passport booths.
The policy change means up to 1.5 million additional children will be able to use the e-gates, according to government estimates. This expansion applies not only to the 13 UK airports with e-gates but also to ports in Brussels and Paris, where juxtaposed checks take place.
Nationalities Eligible
UK e-gates are available to British citizens as well as nationals from the European Union, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States. Members of the registered traveller service can also use them.
Official Comments
Migration Minister Mike Tapp stated that more families would experience a swifter and smoother journey home this summer thanks to the change. Border Force Director-General Phil Douglas added that increasing access to e-gates allows highly skilled officers to focus on intercepting those who pose a threat to the UK.
The UK currently has nearly 300 e-gates in operation across its airports.
