Singaporeans will be able to use the ePassport gates when travelling to the United Kingdom from mid-2019.

ePassport gates allows eligible passengers to be processed through an automated system, which cuts down immigration times.

It is currently used by British and European Union travellers.

The exact start date is not known but it should be in place by the summer of 2019.

It will include nationals from Singapore, South Korea, United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

The UK government said this is a "demonstration of its commitment to develop a new global immigration system as the country leaves the European Union".

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The UK is absolutely open for business from the rest of the world and as part of that we are improving the experience for travellers coming into the UK."

An additional 6.5 million passengers a year are estimated to use ePassport gates, which is accessible to assengers aged 18 and up who use a biometric passport.

There are 259 ePassport gates in operation at 14 ports around the UK.

Passengers between ages 12 and 17 can also use the gates if accompanied by an adult.

Passenger's face is compared with their passport using facial recognition technology, and the system automatically checks passengers against watch lists.

Anyone rejected by the gates will be sent to an alternative manned channel to have their passport checked.

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