The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced on Feb. 13 that it aims for all foreign visitors to clear immigration using new automated lanes without requiring prior enrolment.

In addition, the new lanes will provide Singapore residents and departing visitors with contactless clearance, meaning that they will not need to present their passports when leaving the country.

New Clearance Concept

The lanes are part of ICA's New Clearance Concept that aims to provide a faster and more seamless clearance experience for travellers at the checkpoints.

ICA stated that the next generation Automated Border Control System (ABCS) will be introduced in 2024 and will progressively replace the existing automated lanes and manual counters at the checkpoints.

To cater to the increasing number of travellers who enter Singapore via Changi Airport, ICA will install 230 automated lanes in 2024.

This is on top of more than 160 additional automated lanes installed in 2023.

Currently, passport holders in 60 jurisdictions can use the automated lanes.

In 2023, ICA also installed eight Special Assistance Lanes (SALs) at Woodlands Checkpoint's arrival and departure bus halls, eight at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore and 42 at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 at Changi Airport.

Enhancing immigration clearance processes at land checkpoints

Since the reopening of Singapore's borders in 2022, ICA has seen an increase in the number of travellers using land checkpoints.

According to ICA's 2023 annual statistics, released on Feb. 13, 192.8 million travellers cleared Singapore's checkpoints in 2023, an increase of more than 80 per cent compared to 2022.

During the recent year-end holidays, 13.6 million travellers cleared, with an average of 440,000 travellers daily.

ICA also provided a recap of improvements made in 2023:

Speeding up clearance at passenger bus halls

In recent years, ICA installed 90 more automated lanes at the bus halls of Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, helping ICA clear about 8,500 travellers per hour during peak departure periods, as compared to 5,000 travellers before the pandemic.

With faster clearance at the bus hall, more travellers are opting to cross the Causeway by bus, said ICA.

As of December 2023, nearly 45 per cent of travellers passing through Woodlands Checkpoint travelled by bus.

ICA also worked with various partners to increase the frequency of bus services to prevent overcrowding at the bus concourse and minimise waiting time.

This included a loop system for Causeway Link buses, dedicated immigration clearance lanes for departing public buses, and an increase in the frequency of public buses during peak periods.

Kiosks at Woodlands Train Checkpoint for faster clearance

In addition, ICA installed 10 bi-directional self-clearance immigration kiosks at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

The kiosks combine passport scanning and biometric capturing, which take up less physical space than automated lanes.

This allows ICA to utilise the limited space available at Woodlands Train Checkpoint and provide faster clearance for travellers. Clearance takes about 24 seconds via the kiosks, compared to 45 seconds at the manual counter, ICA said.

Departure zone at Tuas Checkpoint to clear motorcycles

ICA has also used the departure zone to clear motorcyclists entering Singapore via the Second Link in the mornings since May 2023.

This allowed ICA to overcome Tuas Checkpoint's infrastructural constraints and increase clearance capacity to 70 automated lanes from 40 lanes.

Redeveloping Woodlands Checkpoint

According to ICA, Woodlands Checkpoint will be redeveloped in phases over the next 10 to 15 years. This will provide more efficient immigration clearance for travellers for the long term and improve border security.

Responding to traffic conditions

ICA said it monitors traffic conditions in real-time and adjusts the deployment of officers to manage the changing traffic system.

Clearance lanes are also flexibly converted for different modes of conveyance during peak periods, like converting car zones to clear motorcycles to minimise motorcycle queues.

"ICA will continue to explore innovative solutions and build deeper service delivery capabilities to enhance our operations and provide even better customer experiences," said ICA.

Top photo via ICA