Passport free immigration by Singapore: Here's how technology would assist travelers soon

SELETAR - Singapore would be starting passport-free immigration from next year, in what appears to be a major tech push to facilitate international citizens.

The country's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has announced that from 2024, Singapore residents and visitors can clear immigration without their passports.

The new clearance concept was announced back in 2019 but as per the latest development, travelers can use face biometric checks and QR codes for vehicles or the new contactless Automated Border Control System (ABCS) for passengers.

For this passport-less immigration, approximately 800 automated lanes will replace manual counters at checkpoints in the first quarter of 2024. 

The trials have already been completed at Tuas Checkpoint and Changi Airport Terminal 4 and with this new concept, swift and more secure immigration and Customs clearance is being targeted by authorities.

The Automated Passenger In-Car Clearance System (Apics) was put to test in 2022 and its success can be demonstrated from the fact that 94 percent of travelers were capable of using it without assistance.

The tech push is part of ICA’s transformation plan towards a “No Fuss; No Visit; No Waiting” experience for which it is partnering with the Home Team and Technology Agency to roll out Automated Passenger In-Car Clearance System (Apics) in phases at land checkpoints.

The system facilitates travelers as those who are driving can use the MyICA mobile app to create a profile and get a QR code which can be scanned at the manual immigration counters. The ICA officers will then use the QR code data to match the data. Interestingly, travelers can use the same QR code for future trips if passport details remain unchanged.

As part of the second phase in 2026, the APICS lanes will be rolled out at Tuas Checkpoint. Here, travellers will be able to scan their generated QR codes and present their biometric details for identity verification which will need no staff presence at every lane. By 2028, these lanes will be introduced at the redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint.

Singapore is already known for its technological advancement in multiple areas of life but the new passport-free experience would relieve visitors who land in the country to rejoice instead of getting themselves involved in procedures and immigration checks.

Though a small country by land area, Singapore is visited by millions of people each year. Before the pandemic, the country received highest ever number of visitors (19.12 million) in 2019 but the next year, the count dropped to  just 2.7 million and most of them arrived in the first 2 months of the year.

As far as the mode of entry is concerned, in 2020, 77.1% arrived by air, 14.3 % arrived by sea, and 8.7 % arrived by land.