Changes to who can use e-gates at UK airports have come into force today, the Home Office has announced. From Wednesday, access has been expanded to allow younger children to use the e-gates as families prepare to head off on their summer holidays.
The gates use face scans to match passengers' features to their passport photo with the facial recognition tech usually working faster than a manual inspection by a border official. Under previous rules only people aged 10 and over were allowed to use the e-gates meaning families with younger children had to queue for a passport booth.
New Age Eligibility and Impact
From today, children aged eight and nine returning to the UK are also eligible to use e-gates, the government has said. The changes to minimum age rules means that up to 1.5 million more children will be able to use them, the Government suggests.
Schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland have already broken up for the summer holidays, while England and Wales are due to start the break later this month.
Airports and International Ports
The UK has nearly 300 e-gates across 15 UK airports and children aged eight and nine will now also be allowed to use them at ports in Brussels and Paris.
Full list of UK airports with eGates: London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton, London City, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Newcastle, Cardiff, East Midlands, Southampton, Southend.
Official Statements
Border security minister Alex Norris said: “Today’s change will make journeys easier for families with small children and reduce the hassle of travelling home after a holiday.”
“It will also free up more time for tourists to enjoy our fantastic country this summer and in the years ahead.”
Border Force director-general Phil Douglas previously said increasing access to e-gates enabled “highly skilled officers to focus on intercepting those who pose a threat to the UK”.
Eligible Nationalities
UK e-gates are available to Britons as well as nationals from the European Union, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the US. They can also be used by members of the registered traveller service.
