The UK has begun rolling out a contactless border at 13 international airports, using Amadeus Seamless Gates for biometric identity checks.
The UK has started introducing a contactless border at its 13 international airports, removing the need for UK citizens, and later eligible foreign nationals, to scan their passports when entering the country. The system relies on Amadeus’ Seamless Gates, which verify each traveller’s identity at the border under a long-term contract with the Home Office and UK Border Force. The gates are installed at Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, and Stansted airports.
How the contactless eGates work
The system takes a photo of each passenger as they approach the eGate and checks the image against verified immigration, travel, and passport information. The gate opens once the checks are complete, and passengers only need to place their passport on the reader, or are directed to a UK Border Force officer, if further checks are required. eGates at UK airports will switch to the contactless technology gradually, with all of them set to be upgraded by early 2027. The service is initially available to UK citizens and will be extended to eligible foreign nationals in later phases.
Phil Douglas, Director General of UK Border Force, stated that the technology will make journeys smoother and faster while fully maintaining the UK’s border security. He added that the change builds on the extension of eGates to children aged eight and above in summer 2026.
Digital identity across the travel journey
Georges Fenergi, Senior Vice President, Airports and Border Authorities, EMEA at Amadeus, stated that the UK’s approach demonstrates a secure and interoperable digital identity ecosystem that can increase throughput, boost capacity, and improve the passenger experience while maintaining a secure immigration process.
Amadeus works with governments, airports, and airlines to build end-to-end biometric ecosystems in which digital identity is used to manage travellers’ journeys securely. The UK rollout marks a shift from document-based to facial verification at national scale, with travellers’ identities confirmed against government records without the need to present a physical passport in most cases.
