Children aged 8 and 9 will be permitted to use e-gates where their biometrics will be scanned upon travelling back to the UK.
Facial recognition measures are expanding across the whole passenger ecosystem; this technology provides the most trusted protocol for secure travel, and works by comparing the passenger’s photo to their passport. The only rule for the biometrics to work is that the child must be at least 120cm tall to be recognised by the scanners. The Home Office has suggested that with the policy slashing the minimum age, 1.5 million more children will be able to access the e-gates and count in the government’s plans for “swifter and smoother” journeys.
Overseas nationals of an EU country – Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the USA – are also eligible through e-gates and an expanded presence of them at national touchpoints will free up skilled officers to intervene when there’s a serious threat to the UK.
The personnel at the border is still extremely important in tackling serious breaches of the UK’s security, but the advancements in technology can be accountable for mass identification of every international passenger and crowd control.
There are over 270 eGates in place at 15 air and rail ports across the UK to enable seamless travel into the UK.
Identity Week Europe 2026 bring seamless travel and biometrics experts to the stage with leading insights into digital travel credentials, biometric gates, eliminating extra touchpoints for travellers, and balancing enhanced border security with reducing customer friction. Unlock your FREE All Access Pass now and join the UK Home Office, Bermuda Skyport, Zurich Airport, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Netherlands’ Ministry of Justice and Security, Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, Entrust, FaceTec, Inc., FRONTEX, Interpol, Muehlbauer, Schiphol Airport, France Identité, Innovatrics, UNODC, IATA, and 4,000 attendees.
