Foreign travelers no longer have to pass the long queues at Australia`s airports. (Web Photo)
According to new rules to be implemented later this month, long queues of foreign passengers waiting for clearance at Australian airports will become history.
According to the amendments to the Immigration Act, which will take effect on the 17th of this month, no physical passports will be required if passengers` information is connected to the Internet, according to the SBS. According to existing rules, the authorities should compare the photos and information on their passports based on their bust figures to confirm the identity, nationality and visa status of the passport holders.
Australia`s government hopes the new measures will reduce the "inefficient burden" on passenger production of physical passports and speed up passenger clearance at increasingly busy airports and ports.
Passport-free passenger clearance will use existing smart doors or similar biometric systems. Such technology has now been piloted at airports where facial recognition technology is used in some parts of Australia.
When foreign passport holders enter Australia for the first time with their passports, the authorities may use new technology to cross the border in the future after obtaining information about them.
However, the authorities also stressed that the introduction of passport-free technology does not mean that passengers can travel without passports. Because in some cases, visitors still need to show physical passports, such as their identity or visa status can not be confirmed, or for security reasons and other conditions.
Passports are also required for customs clearance at airports and ports where new technologies have not yet been introduced, or where manual clearance procedures are required.
