SINGAPORE, March 26 — Singapore will roll out facial recognition to replace fingerprints for motorcyclists and pillion riders clearing immigration at land checkpoints beginning March 31.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the biometric identifier is part of the New Clearance Concept for a contactless, secure and faster immigration clearance experience.
This initiative will be available at 18 automated motorcycle lanes in the arrival zone of Woodlands Checkpoint and will be progressively extended to all 70 automated arrival and departure motorcycle lanes at the checkpoint.
Tuas Checkpoint is scheduled to implement the same initiative in the third quarter of 2026.
“The initiative is available to Singapore residents, long-term pass holders, and foreign visitors who have previously entered Singapore.
“First-time foreign visitors and those re-entering Singapore with a different passport from their previous trip will need to undergo manual immigration clearance,” it said in a statement today.
The ICA added that visitors will be able to clear immigration via the automated motorcycle lanes using QR code and facial recognition for subsequent trips.
Over 150,000 motorcyclists and pillion riders have participated in the facial images initiative trials since January this year.
“Based on the feedback and ground observations, ICA has enhanced the system’s ability to detect when facial features are obstructed (e.g., by face masks or sunglasses) and introduced on-screen prompts to guide motorcyclists and pillion riders to remove these obstructions to enable facial scanning,” it said.
