Passengers arriving in the UK will soon be able to pass through e-gates without showing their passports, as the government introduces a contactless system at airports including Cardiff by early 2027.
Contactless system rollout
The system, described as a "cutting-edge contactless system", will begin at East Midlands Airport this month for British citizens, with the aim of extending it to other airports and nationalities already eligible for eGates over the coming months. The national introduction commenced on October 6, 2026.
Consumer affairs expert Harry Kind said that, while passengers will still need to carry their passports, this change in procedure should make part of the return journey "smoother and faster". The discussion follows a BBC headline claiming that a "passport-free" system was on its way.
How it works
In an official statement, the UK Government claims that passengers arriving in the UK will shortly be able to pass through airport checkpoints securely without presenting their passports. The system employs facial recognition technology to enable arriving passengers to clear immigration without physically scanning their travel documents.
This is not a "passport-less" journey, however. Border Force explicitly states that passengers must keep their physical passports with them at all times. If the facial recognition scan encounters an issue or requires further verification, passengers will be prompted to present their physical passport or directed to a Border Force officer.
Statement and rollout details
A statement reads: "The system uses state-of-the-art facial comparison technology to verify a passenger's identity before the UK's robust border security checks are carried out in full. Legitimate travellers can then simply walk through, without needing to place their passport on the eGate reader."
Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force, maintains that this is "a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country". He said: "By using state-of-the-art technology, we are making journeys smoother and faster, all while fully maintaining the UK's robust border security. Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend eGates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families."
Steve Griffiths, managing director of East Midlands Airport, said: "As an airport committed to providing an effortless travel experience, we welcome any technological innovation that can help to safely make our customers' journeys smoother, swifter and simpler. This complements changes that we carried out to our immigration hall recently to help improve the flow of arriving passengers through the area."
The government intends to have all UK airport eGates converted to this contactless technology by early 2027. The following UK airports currently have eGates available and will transition as part of the upgrade: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, and Stansted.
