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Starting from 8 July, children aged eight and nine returning to the UK from abroad will be permitted to use e-gates at airports and other entry points, according to an announcement from the Home Office. This change requires that the child is at least 120cm (3ft 11in) tall to be properly identified by the biometric scanners and that they are accompanied by an adult during their passage.
Previously, only children aged ten and above were allowed to take advantage of these automated border control gates. Lowering the minimum age is expected to enable up to 1.5 million more children to benefit from this facility. Over 290 e-gates across the UK and at juxtaposed border ports on the continent will implement this updated allowance.
E-gates accelerate border checks by digitally scanning passports, enabling travelers to pass through checkpoints more swiftly. These gates are accessible not only to British citizens but also to nationals from the EU, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the United States, and registered travelers under the UK’s Registered Traveller Service. Minister for Migration and Citizenship Mike Tapp remarked that more families would “experience a swifter and smoother journey home… this summer holiday season,” while Border Force Director General Phil Douglas highlighted that the new measure allows “highly skilled officers to focus on intercepting those who pose a threat to the UK.”
Karen Dee, Chief Executive of Airports UK, welcomed the development, stating it “will give more families the ability to take advantage of this technology, speeding up the border process and reducing waiting times for many.” She added that airports work closely with border authorities to ensure the UK’s entry points remain secure yet welcoming, providing a smooth experience for both returning residents and visitors. E-gates are currently installed at thirteen UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Edinburgh, among others. They are also operational in juxtaposed ports such as those in Brussels and Paris.
These e-gates form part of the government’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme launched in February. Under this system, travelers from visa-exempt countries like Canada and Australia must now obtain a digital travel authorization prior to arrival in the UK, which costs £20. Recently, some European airports experienced significant delays caused by the implementation of digital passport checks, with concerns raised that these new scanning technologies might similarly affect processing times during the busy summer travel period
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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