Travelers can now clear Singapore Airport immigration in just 10 seconds

Singapore’s Changi Airport has streamlined immigration processing, enabling passengers to pass through in as little as 10 seconds using advanced facial recognition and iris biometrics. This technological shift, fully implemented on September 30, has reduced average clearance times by 60%—from 25 seconds to just 10 seconds—according to a statement released by the city-state’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Thursday.

All four passenger terminals at Changi now feature passport-free clearance, which applies to Singapore’s residents, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders. These individuals can arrive and depart the airport using only their facial and iris data, bypassing the need to present a passport. For foreign visitors, a passport is still required upon arrival, but they can utilize biometric clearance when departing Singapore.

The ICA reported that nearly 1.5 million travelers had already used the new system without presenting passports by October 15. Changi Airport, a consistent top performer in global airport rankings, has seen a surge in passenger traffic, handling around 49.9 million travelers from January to September 2024. This puts the airport on track to match its pre-pandemic figures.