Good news for families travelling through UK airports as the Home Office has announced that e-gates will soon be accessible to younger children.
From 8 July, children aged eight and nine returning to the UK will be eligible to use the automated gates.
The gates use facial recognition technology for identity verification, which is generally quicker than manual inspections.
Children must be at least 120cm tall so they can be seen by biometric scanners and accompanied by an adult.
Currently, passengers under 10 are prohibited from using the gates, often leading to longer queues for families at traditional passport booths.
The policy to cut the minimum age means up to 1.5 million additional children will be able to use them, the Government suggests.
In addition to the 13 UK airports with e-gates, children aged eight and nine will also be permitted to use them at ports in Brussels and Paris, where juxtaposed checks take place.
- Australia
- Canada
- European Union
- Iceland
- Japan
- Liechtenstein
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Switzerland
- US
Migration minister Mike Tapp said more families would “experience a swifter and smoother journey home” this summer.
The UK has nearly 300 e-gates.
Border Force director-general Phil Douglas said increasing access to e-gates enabled “highly skilled officers to focus on intercepting those who pose a threat to the UK”.
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.
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