International travelers will soon just need to scan their passports for a much faster border experience. Electronic gates, or e-Gates, are set to be rolled out on a global scale to reduce wait times and staff shortages recently experienced in the travel sector.
These new machines will read each traveler’s biometric information and confirm their identity and further checks or speaking to border staff will only be needed if further information is required following the scan.
e-Gates were first introduced in 2007 at Australia’s Brisbane Airport, just a year after biometric passports were issued. While the goal was to extend this service swiftly to aid in immigration congestion, the rollout has been a bit slow but has risen to prominence once more due to airport struggles with staff and the high traveler demand.
Several countries in Europe have introduced electronic gates for ID verification, and Canada is now the latest country to follow suit.
Just this month, Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport announced they were turning to e-Gates to solve operational issues and are planning to implement a ‘fully digital’ border in the future.
While some may read this as an empty promise, the first step has already been taken as Toronto’s busy Terminal 1 now has e-Gates for customs declaration. This follows the airport previously providing the worst delays in the world.
Americans who pass Canada’s strict border and vaccine rules and wish to use an e-Gate arriving in Toronto must fulfill two simple requirements:
- Be 16 years of age or older
- Hold a valid biometric passport
This is a big step forward, however travelers still must, though briefly, speak to a border agent once past the e-Gate. Canada is aiming for a truly seamless custom experience but is working to get there to ensure travelers have a safe and swift experience.