In the US, biometric technology is being used to verify travelers’ identities at customs and immigration checkpoints at airports across the country, but that facial scan is used by the immigration officer to ensure a passenger’s face matches the photo on their physical passport, rather than replacing passports altogether.
For now, travelers to both Singapore and Dubai will still need to carry their actual passport with them. Teo says that “a person may undergo immigration clearance using an automated clearance system, if available, but that he may also be required to appear before an immigration officer for immigration clearance after using the automated clearance system, if so directed.”
But in the near future, physical passports will be eliminated completely. “Today biometrics are attached to the physical document,” says Jeremy Springall, senior vice president at biometrics firm SITA AT BORDERS. “In the future, people will be able to travel to different countries with digital versions of their passports stored on their mobile devices.”
By 2030, many airports will have “walk-through, contactless immigration,” according to a recent paper by consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The report predicts that many airports will model their facial recognition operations off of Singapore Changi’s design. But first, airports will need to standardize customs and immigration processes and share passengers’ facial recognition and passport data. “Through coordinated efforts by governments and regulatory bodies, there is a prospect of having an internationally recognized digital identity for all passengers by 2050,” the report says. The International Civil Aviation Organization—which is run by the UN—is leading the effort to develop a universal digital identity to be used alongside airport facial scans around the world.
A uniform digital identity would mean every airport could use biometrics to track travelers across their borders, and physical passports would become obsolete. “The emergence of digital identities means we will be able to travel from anywhere to everywhere—by air, land, or sea—without needing to show physical travel documents, such as a passport, visa, health forms, boarding pass, or driver’s license,” Springall says.
