England plans to follow other European countries in using facial recognition to phase out the requirement of passports at its borders, according to a report by The London Times.
Facial recognition technology is already in use for inter-EU travel and arrivals in Dublin with EU passports.
Airports are set to install eGates with advanced facial recognition technology by this year which will admit passengers by verifying their identities through a camera.
Phil Douglas, the director-general of England’s Border Force, has revealed plans to create an ‘intelligent border’ with more frictionless facial recognition, indicating significant changes to the present system.
Initial trials of the new technology will be followed by a full procurement process for the new gates.
England currently has 270 eGates in place across 15 air and rail ports, which will require an upgrade to facilitate the new technology.
The introduction of this technology in England comes after the European Union’s announcement that British travellers will be required to scan their fingerprints and have their images captured when entering the EU from October 2024 as part of the new entry/exit system (EES) and a new visa-waiver scheme, ETIAS, expected to launch in mid-2025.
At the same time, foreign nationals travelling to England will need to apply for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before departure.
The regulations will not apply to travel between England and Ireland under the common travel agreement.
