Last year, Singapore also rolled out facial recognition and iris biometrics at Changi Airport, which enables travellers to complete immigration procedures in as little as 10 seconds. This is a game changer as it has allowed millions of travellers to access passport-free clearance when they leave the country (although foreign visitors still need to show their passports upon arrival).
Japan, which set a new record last year by welcoming 36.87 million tourists to the country, is also keen on automating its immigration screenings — with the government setting an ambitious goal of welcoming 60 million foreigners in 2030. Additionally, to avoid longer immigration lines, Japan seeks to imminently launch a specialised app where visitors can declare accommodation details and the purpose of their stay before arriving in the country. These applications will then be taken up by the Immigration Services Agency who can approve or decline them in advance.
The tropical island of Bali is one of our most popular destinations and a frontrunner in making immigration an easy, breezy process for global travellers. In 2024, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport introduced 90 autogates that have since allowed over six million Indonesian and foreign travellers (with digital visas or on visa-exempt arrangements) to scan their passports and complete their biometric verification within seconds. As Indonesia seeks to attract over 200 million passengers annually by 2030, this technological development is certainly a key step in making the immigration process more efficient and effective in the long run.
