UK Airport eGates Just Got a Lot More Family-Friendly: What Americans Need to Know

If you’re planning a trip to the UK this summer, the fastest way through passport control just got even faster—especially if you’re traveling with kids. Starting July 8, the UK is lowering the minimum age for its automated eGates from 10 to 8, opening the speedy lanes to millions more passengers.

Here’s how it works: Instead of waiting in a line for a border officer, eligible travelers scan their own passport at a kiosk, step into a booth, and look at a camera. Facial recognition matches your face to the biometric chip in your passport. In less than a minute, the gates swing open and you’re through.

The change is a big win for families. Until now, children under 10 couldn’t use the eGates, which meant parents often had to queue in the slower staffed lanes with their entire group. Immigration minister Mike Tapp acknowledged the stress of traveling with young children, saying the expansion will give families “a swifter and smoother journey home.” The government estimates 1.5 million more children will use eGates in the next year.

Americans have been able to use eGates since 2019, when the UK opened the program to travelers from the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. To qualify, you need a biometric passport (look for the camera icon on the cover). Children must be at least 120 centimeters tall—about 3 feet 11 inches—so the camera can get a good look.

eGates are available at nearly 300 locations, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Birmingham airports, plus Eurostar terminals in Paris and Brussels.

A word of caution: The system isn’t perfect. Occasionally travelers get flagged for manual checks, and there have been nationwide outages that caused delays. But on a normal day, these gates can save you a lot of time—especially during peak summer travel.