Children aged eight and nine will soon be able to use electronic passport gates when returning to the UK, under new government measures designed to speed up border processing for families during busy travel periods, according to the BBC.
Faster Border Entry Planned for Families Returning to Britain
The UK Home Office confirmed that from July 8, 2026, eligible children aged eight and nine will be permitted to use e-gates at airports and selected international rail and ferry terminals. To qualify, children must be at least 120cm (3ft 11in) tall so biometric scanners can accurately verify their identity, and they must travel with an accompanying adult. The change lowers the minimum age requirement from ten-years-old and is expected to allow approximately 1.5 million additional children to use the automated systems, according to the BBC.
According to the government, more than 290 e-gates across the UK and at juxtaposed border controls in continental Europe will be included in the expansion. These systems are intended to accelerate passenger processing through digital passport scanning and facial recognition technology.
The Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp, said the move would help more families:
“experience a swifter and smoother journey home” during the summer holiday season.
E-gates in the UK are currently available to British citizens and travellers from several eligible countries, including EU member states, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States. Members of the Registered Traveller Service may also use them.
Border Modernisation and Airport Response
Dee, chief executive of AirportsUK, described the policy as a “welcome development” that would reduce waiting times and improve the experience for travelling families.
E-gates are currently installed at 13 UK airports, including Heathrow Airport (LHR), Gatwick Airport (LGW), Manchester Airport (MAN), Edinburgh Airport (EDI) and Stansted Airport (STN). They are also available at juxtaposed border checkpoints in Brussels Airport (BRU) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), where UK immigration checks are completed before departure to Britain.
The announcement forms part of the government’s wider UK border transformation programme. Earlier in 2026, the UK began enforcing its new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, requiring travellers from visa-free countries such as Canada and Australia to obtain digital travel permission before entering Britain. The ETA currently costs £20.
In recent months, airports in countries including Italy and Portugal experienced significant disruption linked to digital passport scanning systems, prompting warnings that similar issues could affect summer travel periods.
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