On 6 October 2026, eGates at UK airports began transitioning to contactless verification: the system compares the passenger’s face with immigration and passport data, and the passport no longer needs to be placed on the reader.
Who the change affects
The new technology is being introduced first at East Midlands Airport for UK citizens, and all eGates at 13 airports across the country are planned to be upgraded by the beginning of 2027.
In the coming months, contactless verification will be extended to other airports and to the remaining nationalities that already have access to eGates. Their list includes: EU, EEA and Switzerland (with a digital immigration status), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA (with a digital status or exemption record). Mandatory conditions for all: a biometric passport, age from 8 years and height from 120 cm. Children aged 8–17 pass only when accompanied by an adult.
If you have a passport from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan or another CIS country, eGates are not available to you — you go through control with a Border Force officer, as before. UAE citizens are also not included in the list for eGates and go through passport control with an officer.
Before → After
| Item | Before 6 October 2026 | From 6 October 2026 |
| Identity check | Passport placed on the reader | Face is compared with the photo in the passport chip |
| Passport on the reader | Always | Only for additional checks |
| Passport carried | Required | Still required |
| Speed | Standard passage | Up to 25% faster |
The information was published on the GOV.UK website (Home Office and Border Force) on 6 October 2026. Citizens with dual citizenship who hold a British passport are recommended to travel on it or have a Certificate of Entitlement to avoid delays. Citizens of CIS countries with a second passport from the list of eligible ones (for example, Bulgarian, Romanian, American) can use eGates with this second document if a digital status (for example, ETA) has been issued and the other conditions are met. Contactless passage for them will become available later, as the programme expands.
Anastasia Yanchenko, CEO of The Visa Services:
“The modernisation is taking place within the framework of the Immigration White Paper. In summer 2026, eGates were already opened for children from 8 years old, and earlier the ETA system was introduced.
eGates operate at 13 airports: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted. Important: contactless passage does not cancel a visa — citizens of all CIS countries still need a UK visa, we arrange a UK visa from Dubai.”
Need fast, professional visa assistance?
Contact our team
