No passport on the reader: UK eGates go contactless
What happened
UK airport eGates are being switched over to contactless technology. You will no longer need to place your passport on the reader. The Home Office and Border Force announced the change on 6 October 2026. Here is how the new process works. You walk up to the eGate and the system takes your photo. It compares that live image against verified immigration, travel and passport information. If the checks pass, the gate opens automatically. If more checks are needed, you will be asked to put your passport on the reader after all, or you may be directed to a Border Force officer. This is why the advice to carry your passport at all times has not changed. The rollout is deliberately gradual. It starts at East Midlands Airport, initially for British citizens only. Over the following months it expands to more airports, and then to other nationalities who are already eligible to use eGates. Every eGate is due to be upgraded by early 2027. The airports that currently have eGates are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted. Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force, called it "a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country". Steve Griffiths, Managing Director of East Midlands Airport, said: "We're delighted to be the first UK airport to have contactless eGates introduced by Border Force."
Why this matters
Anyone who has landed at a busy UK airport at the wrong moment knows the feeling. A long, slow-moving queue, small children past their limit, and a row of gates that each seem to take an age. A lot of that delay is the small fumble at the gate itself. Finding the right page. Putting the passport the wrong way round. Lifting it off too early. Multiply a few seconds of confusion by hundreds of passengers and you get the queue. Removing the passport step removes most of that fumbling. The gate just looks at you. For some travellers the difference is bigger than convenience. If you are travelling with a baby in one arm and a bag in the other, or you use a walking stick, or you have arthritic hands, juggling a passport onto a glass reader is genuinely awkward. A gate that works without it is more accessible, not just quicker. There is a second reason this matters, and it is about what the gate is actually doing. Contactless does not mean fewer checks. The government is clear that border security checks remain in place; what changes is how your identity is confirmed. The comparison against immigration, travel and passport records still happens. It just happens from your face rather than from a scanned page. That will reassure some people and unsettle others, and both reactions are reasonable. It is worth being clear-eyed: this is facial comparison at the border, and it is becoming the default route into the country.
What the evidence actually says
The key figure is this: testing found the new system is up to 25% faster than using a passport on an eGate. Read "up to" carefully. It is a ceiling, not an average. Your own experience will depend on how busy the hall is, how many gates are open and how many passengers get referred for extra checks. It is also worth being honest about where airport queues actually come from. Gate speed is one factor. The number of gates switched on, staffing levels, and several large aircraft landing at once matter at least as much. A 25% faster gate does not fix an arrivals hall with half its gates closed. The phased rollout is a reasonable sign about the evidence. Starting at one airport, with one nationality, and expanding from there, is what you do when you want to find problems at a small scale first. Every eGate is due to be upgraded by early 2027, which is a timeline with room in it rather than a rush. This also sits in a wider pattern of change at the UK border. The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme already lets officials identify potential security risks before people travel. Border Force extended eGate use to children aged eight and above this summer. Contactless gates are the next step in the same direction: more checking done in advance or automatically, less done at a desk. The announcement also included broader Home Office figures on immigration enforcement: small boat arrivals in June, July and August 2026 were the lowest for six years; over 80,000 people with no right to be in the UK have been removed or returned since the election, a 52% increase; and removals of foreign national offenders are up 36%, with nearly 12,000 returned over the same period. These were presented alongside the eGate news, though they are about enforcement rather than about how the gates work. Karen Dee, Chief Executive of AirportsUK, the trade body for UK airports, said: "It is vital that we have the fast, efficient borders that arrivals into the UK now expect."
Practical advice
Carry your passport anyway, every time. This is the single most important point. The gate may still ask for it, and you may still be sent to an officer. Contactless does not mean passport-free. Do not assume your airport has it yet. The rollout started at East Midlands and spreads over months. If you are flying into Heathrow next week, expect the old process and be pleasantly surprised if not. If you are not a British citizen, check before you count on it. The first phase covers British citizens at East Midlands. Other nationalities already eligible for eGates will be added in later months. Dual nationals, travel on a valid British passport or hold a Certificate of Entitlement. This avoids delays and is the standing advice regardless of the new gates. Take off hats and sunglasses, and look at the camera. The system compares your live face with your records, so give it a clear view. Check your passport is valid and in good condition well before you travel. Facial comparison relies on the records behind your passport, so a damaged or expired document is still a problem. If you are travelling with children, remember eGates are available to children aged eight and above. Younger children will still go through with an officer. If you take medicines, do not pack them in the hold "because the gate will be quick". Keep essential medicines, and a copy of your prescription, in your hand luggage. Queue times at the border are the least likely part of a journey to go wrong; delayed or lost luggage is far more common.
What to know
From 6 October 2026, UK eGates are gradually switching to contactless facial comparison, so most passengers will not need to place a passport on the reader. The rollout starts at East Midlands Airport for British citizens and expands to other airports and eligible nationalities over the following months, with all eGates due to be upgraded by early 2027. Testing found the new system up to 25% faster. Border security checks remain in place; your live image is compared against verified immigration, travel and passport information. You must still carry your passport. If extra checks are needed you will be asked for it, or directed to a Border Force officer. Dual nationals should travel on a valid British passport or hold a Certificate of Entitlement. eGates currently operate at Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted, and are open to children aged eight and above. Sources: Home Office and Border Force (GOV.UK), 'Airports to go contactless in major boost for UK passengers', 6 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/airports-to-go-contactless-in-major-boost-for-uk-passengers; GOV.UK, 'Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA)', https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta; GOV.UK, 'Travelling to the UK: passport and visa checks', https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control. This article is for general information about travel and border procedures, and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. If you are travelling with medicines or a health condition, speak to your pharmacist about carrying and storing your medication.
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