Singapore is taking a pioneering step in border control by allowing all foreign visitors, regardless of nationality, to use automated lanes at air, land, and sea checkpoints starting in the second half of 2024 (H2-2024). This means that foreigners will be able to clear immigration seamlessly without registering beforehand or presenting their passports. Singapore passport-free

Singapore residents and visitors leaving the Republic will be able to clear checkpoints without having to use their passports in 2024.

Instead, they can clear immigration via QR code at land checkpoints if travelling by car, or the new contactless Automated Border Control System (ABCS) at passenger halls.

During its work plan seminar at the Singapore Expo, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the manual counters at all passenger halls at checkpoints will be progressively replaced by about 800 automated lanes using ABCS from the first quarter of 2024.

The ABCS lanes will use biometrics for clearance and are part of ICA’s new clearance concept (NCC), which was announced in 2019.

The NCC transformation plan aims to provide faster and more secure immigration and customs clearance. The system was trialled at Tuas Checkpoint and Changi Airport Terminal 4 in 2019.

For those travelling by car, ICA said it trialled the Automated Passenger In-Car Clearance System (Apics) in 2022, and about 94 percent of travellers were able to use it without assistance from officers.

ICA will be working with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency to further improve Apics before rolling it out in phases at land checkpoints.

Here are some key details about this initiative: Singapore passport-free

• Timeline: This policy will be implemented in H2-2024, which starts on July 1, 2024.
• Scope: All foreign visitors to Singapore will be eligible to use the automated lanes, making Singapore the first country in the world to offer such a service.
• Technology: The new system will leverage next-generation Automated Border Control technology that utilizes multi-modal biometrics (iris, facial, and fingerprint recognition) for secure and efficient clearance.
• Benefits: This initiative is expected to significantly improve the travel experience for foreigners by reducing clearance times and queues at checkpoints. It also aligns with Singapore’s Smart Nation vision of using technology to enhance efficiency and convenience.

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