Bristol Airport is among 13 UK airports set to receive new contactless eGates, after the government began rolling out the facial-scan technology this week.
The system went live for the first time on Tuesday 6 October at East Midlands Airport, which became the first in the country to offer it, the Home Office and East Midlands Airport confirmed. Border Force says the contactless gates will be introduced progressively at Bristol, Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, London City, Luton, Newcastle and Stansted, with every eGate in the UK expected to be upgraded by early 2027. No specific switch-on date has yet been set for Bristol.
With the new gates, a camera takes a live photo of the traveller as they approach, and the image is checked against their passport, visa and travel records. If the checks clear, the gate opens automatically and the passenger walks through without placing their passport on the reader. All existing immigration and security checks still take place, and Border Force says passengers must keep a valid passport with them throughout.
The technology is initially available only to British citizens, with other nationalities already eligible for standard eGates expected to be added later. Anyone whose contactless check does not clear, or who cannot use the system, will be asked to use the passport reader as normal or will be directed to a Border Force officer, as happens today.
Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force, said the change was "a win for travellers", with internal testing showing the contactless process is up to 25% faster than scanning a passport. Bristol Airport, which has expanded its route network significantly this year, has not yet announced when its own gates will be upgraded.
For now, travellers passing through Bristol's arrivals area should expect no immediate change, but should watch for signage over the coming months as the rollout reaches the South West.
What this means for your journey: once contactless eGates reach Bristol, arrivals should clear the border a little faster. In the meantime, plan your route away from the terminal with our guide to Bristol Airport parking at /parking/.