The UK has extended its new contactless eGate process to eligible foreign nationals, including travellers from the United States, at the limited number of airports where the technology is currently installed.

Contactless eGates now available to more arrivals

American travellers arriving in the United Kingdom may now use the country’s new contactless automated border gates, as long as they meet the existing eligibility rules for eGate use.

The UK Border Force confirmed the expansion in guidance updated on November 3, 2026. The change applies to foreign nationals who were already permitted to use conventional automated eGates, meaning it does not create eGate access for any new nationality group.

The first contactless eGates began operating on October 6, 2026. At launch, the passport-free scanning option was restricted to British citizens, with authorities saying access would be widened in stages to other eligible nationalities. That next phase has now begun.

Who can use the new contactless process

Where the upgraded gates are installed, the contactless function is available to British citizens and nationals of several countries already eligible for standard eGate use. The government’s latest guidance lists the following groups:

  • European Union member states, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium, while Ireland is currently excluded
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Iceland
  • Japan
  • Liechtenstein
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Switzerland
  • United States

Irish citizens and members of the UK’s Registered Traveller programme remain able to use conventional eGates, but they are not yet included in the new contactless feature.

Border Force has stressed that the core requirements for automated passport control have not changed. The update simply adds contactless processing for travellers who already qualified to use the existing automated border gates.

A close view of a biometric passport being held near an automated gate panel in a bright UK airport arrivals area, with travellers blurred in the background
The contactless system may allow eligible passengers to pass through without placing their passport on a scanner, but passports must still be carried.

How the checks work

The contactless system relies on facial recognition and travel data already held by UK authorities. When a passenger approaches a contactless-enabled eGate, the system takes a facial image and checks it against verified information linked to the person’s identity, passport, travel details and immigration status.

If the automated checks are completed successfully, the gate can open without the traveller placing a passport on the scanner. However, the new process does not remove immigration screening or security checks, and the government has warned that contactless processing is not guaranteed even for eligible passengers.

Travellers may still be directed to scan their passport in the usual way or speak to a Border Force officer if further checks are needed. All passengers must therefore continue to travel with a valid passport and be ready to present it when asked.

Limited rollout at UK airports

The UK has more than 290 automated eGates across 15 airport and rail entry points, according to the latest government figures. For now, only a small number of those gates support the contactless function.

The new technology is currently in place at East Midlands Airport, where the first contactless eGates entered service on October 6, 2026, and at Birmingham Airport, where it was also introduced in October.

Border Force intends to extend the feature to 11 more airports: Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted. The government aims to make contactless eGates available across UK airports by early 2027, though individual launch dates for the remaining airports have not been announced.

Passport, ETA and age rules still apply

For US citizens, the expansion affects the arrival process rather than the entry rules themselves. Americans visiting the UK for a short stay must still hold a valid passport and, unless exempt, secure a UK Electronic Travel Authorization before travelling. The same ETA requirement applies to other visa-exempt nationalities, including eligible European travellers.

Passengers with a valid UK electronic visa or a digitally recorded exemption may also use eGates if they meet all other requirements. Automated border control users must hold a biometric passport, be at least 8 years old, be at least 1.2 metres tall, and satisfy the relevant nationality and immigration status conditions. Children aged 8 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

National identity cards cannot be used at eGates, including by European nationals who are exceptionally allowed to enter the UK with those documents.

For eligible visitors, the change could make arrivals faster at participating airports, but only where contactless gates are operating and the automated checks are successful. Travellers and airlines should continue treating passports and any required UK ETA approval as essential pre-departure requirements.