This airport is about to become passport-free.

Home to the world's tallest indoor waterfall, a tropical garden featuring over 900 trees and 60,000 shrubs, along with a walking path adorned with life-sized dinosaur sculptures, Singapore’s Changi Airport consistently ranks as the best globally. Soon, it will also be among the most technologically advanced.

Beginning in the first half of 2024, travelers passing through Singapore won’t need their passports. Instead, all that’s required to clear security and immigration is your face—the airport is adopting biometric technology and facial recognition to expedite the process.

According to Singapore’s communications minister, Josephine Teo, 'Biometrics will create a single authentication token used at various automated touchpoints, from bag-drop to immigration and boarding.' This innovation will minimize the need for passengers to repeatedly show their travel documents, ensuring a smoother and more convenient experience.

In August 2023 alone, Changi Airport saw over 5.15 million passengers, still below the nearly 6 million recorded in the same month of 2019. As the tourism sector rebounds from the pandemic, this number is expected to grow, especially with the upcoming completion of Changi’s Terminal 5, anticipated around the mid-2030s.

Teo stated, 'Our immigration systems must efficiently handle the increasing number of travelers and ensure a positive clearance experience while maintaining security.'

Changi already employs this technology for automated immigration lanes. While you won't need to show your passport at the Singapore airport with the new system, it's still essential for international travel and returning home. Keeping it accessible is wise in case customs officials require document verification.

Singapore isn’t the only airport embracing biometric technology and facial recognition. Travelers flying Emirates through Dubai, particularly from Terminal 3, will be able to board their flights using just facial recognition by the end of this year.

Europe is developing a new tech-driven Entry/Exit System (EES) to monitor visitors as they cross borders. In the U.S., biometric face scanners are already operational at Global Entry kiosks, with airlines like United, American, Delta, and JetBlue testing facial recognition for check-in, bag drops, and boarding at select gates.