Contactless eGates: 6 Quick Things to Know Before You Fly
Contactless eGates check your face without you putting your passport on the reader. They're live at East Midlands, rolling out to 13 more UK airports, and expected at every UK airport by early 2027. British citizens only at first, and you still need to carry your passport.
Border Force is switching on eGates that read your face, not your passport. Six things worth knowing.
What are contactless eGates?
eGates that check who you are by facial comparison, without you putting your passport on the reader.
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Where can you use them?
- East Midlands has a few already
- Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted are next
- Every UK airport by early 2027 is the government's expectation, not a promise
Six quick tips
- British citizens only, for now. Other eGate nationalities come later, no date yet
- Still carry your passport. You must travel with a valid one
- If it doesn't work, scan your passport the normal way or see an officer
- The normal eGate rules on who can use them haven't changed
- Security and immigration checks still happen as normal
- Don't cut your buffer on the way home yet. Until your airport has them, plan for the usual queue
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Source: GOV.UK, contactless travel using eGates, updated 6 October 2026. Photo: Home Office, CC BY 2.0.
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