The Home Office has announced that from 8 July children aged eight and nine will be allowed to use e-gates when returning to the UK from abroad. This change lowers the previous minimum age from ten, on condition that the children are at least 120cm tall and accompanied by an adult.
The move aims to expand e-gate access to as many as 1.5 million more young travellers, streamlining the border process at key arrival points. E-gates operate by digitally scanning passports to allow faster border checks.
More than 290 e-gates across UK airports and juxtaposed ports on the continent, including locations in Brussels and Paris, will be affected by the change.
Mike Tapp, Minister for Migration and Citizenship, stated that the adjustment would help more families benefit from a quicker and smoother journey during the busy summer holiday period.
The e-gates are currently available to British citizens as well as nationals from the EU, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the US, and members of the Registered Traveller Service.
Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force, suggested the expanded eligibility would enable highly trained officers to concentrate on identifying those who may pose a risk to the UK.
Karen Dee, Chief Executive of Airports UK, welcomed the development, highlighting the benefit for families and the potential to reduce queues during peak travel times. She emphasised the collaborative effort between airports and border agencies to maintain security while ensuring a smooth experience for travellers.
The e-gates are installed at 13 UK airports, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, and Stansted.
This initiative is part of the UK government’s broader border transformation programme, which also introduced the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system earlier this year. The ETA requires visitors from visa-exempt countries to obtain digital permission to enter the UK, for a fee of £20.
While the changes aim to improve border processing times, similar digital systems in other European countries have recently caused delays, with concerns raised over potential disruptions during the peak summer travel season.