SINGAPORE, May 17 (CNA) – 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.
Photo from CNA
