Singapore’s Changi Airport to Go Passport-Free with Biometrics in 2024

A passport-free future is almost a reality at one of the world’s best airports.

Starting next year, Singapore’s Changi Airport will no longer require passports, instead using exclusively biometric data (fingerprint and facial scans) to clear passengers at a number of touchpoints when they’re departing.

The announcement was made by Singapore’s Communications Minister Josephine Teo this week and follows changes to Singapore’s immigration laws, which make it easier for officials to use biometrics at airports.

The goal is to make the travel experience at Changi even more seamless, removing the need of travelers to present their passports at touchpoints in the airport, Teo said during a parliament session this week. Biometrics will be used at various points in the departure process, from bag-drop to immigration and boarding, instead of a physical passport.

The airport, which has long been known as one of the best worldwide, including being named the favorite international airport by Travel + Leisure readers, already employs the technology at its automated immigration lanes. The announcement this week will spread that technology to other touchpoints.

“This will reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at these touchpoints, allowing for more seamless and convenient processing,” Teo said this week.

Teo added that the changes will make Changi one of the first airports in the world to lean into biometrics this much.