Children aged eight and nine will soon be allowed to use passport e-gates when returning to the UK, under a new Home Office policy due to begin on July 8. The change is expected to affect up to 1.5 million additional children travelling through British airports and border checkpoints each year.
The move lowers the minimum age for e-gate access from 10 to eight, provided children are accompanied by an adult and are at least 120 centimeters tall so biometric scanners can detect them properly. According to the Home Office, the measure is intended to reduce waiting times for families and speed up border processing during the busy summer travel period.
The UK currently operates nearly 300 e-gates across airports and juxtaposed border controls in continental Europe. These gates use facial recognition technology to compare a passenger’s face with the image stored in their biometric passport, allowing automated identity verification instead of manual inspection by Border Force officers.
Families Set to Benefit From Reduced Border Queues
Under existing rules, children younger than 10 have been required to pass through staffed passport desks, even when travelling with adults eligible for e-gates. That often resulted in families joining separate queues from other passengers using automated lanes.
From July 8, children aged eight and nine who meet the height requirement will be able to use e-gates at 13 UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh. The policy will also apply at juxtaposed border checkpoints in Brussels and Paris, where UK border checks take place before departure.
According to Sky News and the BBC, the government estimates that the revised age limit could allow up to 1.5 million more children to access the automated system annually.
Migration minister Mike Tapp said the change would allow more families to experience “a swifter and smoother journey home” during the summer holiday season. Karen Dee, chief executive of AirportsUK, described the policy as “a welcome development” that could help reduce waiting times for many travelers.
The UK first introduced e-gates in 2008 as part of efforts to modernize border controls for passengers carrying biometric passports. The system is available to British citizens as well as eligible nationals from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and several other countries. Members of the Registered Traveller Service may also use the gates.
©Shutterstock
Government Links Expansion to Broader Border Modernization Plans
The announcement forms part of the government’s wider UK border transformation program, which has introduced several digital processing measures in recent years. According to the BBC, this includes the Electronic Travel Authorization system, which began enforcement earlier this year for travelers arriving from visa-free countries. Under that scheme, travelers from countries such as Canada and Australia now need digital permission before entering the UK. The authorization currently costs £20.
Border Force director general Phil Douglas said expanding e-gate access would allow “highly skilled officers to focus on intercepting those who pose a threat to the UK.” The Home Office has repeatedly presented automation as a way to improve passenger flow while concentrating staff resources on security checks.
The announcement also comes amid wider discussion about digital border systems across Europe. Recent reports of delays linked to passport scanning technology at some European airports, including in Italy and Portugal, have raised concerns about processing times during peak travel periods this summer.
Despite those concerns elsewhere, UK officials and airport representatives say the lower age threshold should help simplify arrivals for many families passing through British border control points in the coming months.
