SINGAPORE: It will take about 20 seconds to clear the motorcycle immigration arrival lane at Woodlands Checkpoint under the new facial recognition system from March 31, when riders and pillion riders will no longer need to show their passports.
They will be able to access 18 of the checkpoint’s automated motorcycle lanes for quicker and hassle-free clearance.
Currently, it takes about 30 seconds for motorcyclists to clear immigration.
Under the new system, motorcyclists with open-face helmets would only need to look into a camera at the immigration counter before being cleared.
Facial images will progressively replace fingerprints as the primary biometric identifier for motorcyclists and pillion riders clearing land checkpoints.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said this is part of its New Clearance Concept (NCC) for a contactless, secure and faster immigration clearance experience.
Superintendent Eliane Chee, senior assistant director of operations development branch at ICA, said facial scans are “especially useful on rainy days, as wet fingerprints are harder to detect”.
“More than 150,000 motorcyclists have participated in our trials since January this year, and their feedback has allowed us to deliver a better clearance experience.”
Since January, ICA has been conducting facial recognition trials for immigration clearance at some motorcycle lanes at Woodlands Checkpoint’s arrival zone.
Based on the feedback from users and on-the-ground observations, ICA has strengthened the system’s ability to detect when facial features are obstructed, such as when a person is wearing face mask or sunglasses.
In such cases, on-screen prompts will alert the user to remove the obstructions to enable facial scanning.
The same applies to motorcyclists and pillion riders wearing full-face helmets. They must remove their helmets for the camera to get a clearer facial scan.
A close-up of the facial recognition clearance for motorcyclists and pillion riders at Woodlands Checkpoint on March 26.
ICA will eventually extend the new system to all 70 automated arrival and departure motorcycle lanes at Woodlands Checkpoint.
The system will also be rolled out at Tuas Checkpoint in the third quarter of 2026.
What to do at with facial recognition?
A motorcyclist would have to scan his passport or QR code generated via the MyICA mobile app.
Upon biometrics verification, the entry barrier will be raised to allow the motorcyclist to enter the lane and proceed to facial recognition.
A motorcyclist wearing an open-face helmet must look into the camera to have his facial image captured. Once his identity is verified, the exit barrier will be raised, allowing him to clear immigration.
Travellers must carry their passports as ICA may still require them for verification.
QR code clearance
The full implementation of the QR code clearance at land checkpoints was completed by January 2025.
This reduced clearance times and gave ICA better management of the increasing volume of travellers at the land checkpoints.
As at March 15, 62 per cent of motorcyclists and pillion riders had used QR code clearance at Singapore’s land checkpoints.
More motorcyclists and pillion riders are encouraged to use QR codes for convenient passport-less immigration clearance, said ICA.
It added that with more travellers adopting QR code clearance, overall traffic movement through the checkpoints is expected to speed up, thereby reducing waiting time.
The Straits Times reported in February that about 245 million travellers passed through Singapore’s checkpoints in 2025, surpassing the 230 million in 2024 and the 217.3 million in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.
ICA said on Feb 23 that around three in four travellers had entered the country through the land checkpoints.
The highest number recorded in a single day was on Dec 19, 2025, when close to 589,000 travellers entered Singapore through its land checkpoints.
There was a 9.5 per cent increase in vehicles cleared at the land checkpoints in 2025, with cars and motorcycles accounting for about 94 per cent of the total vehicle volume.
ICA said the passport-less clearance initiatives have made immigration clearance faster, more efficient and seamless for travellers.
It added that in 2025, about 127 million travellers cleared immigration without being required to present their passports. - The Straits Times/ANN
