The government has made a fantastic announcement surrounding e-gate entry restrictions this week. From this week onwards, more children will be allowed to use the UK e-gates to re-enter the country.
Following the burst in demand for holidays in the summer of 2023, the Border Force and Home Office have been working on e-gate testing at airports around the country to ensure this summer can flow as smoothly as possible for travellers.
This means that as of today, Monday the 24th of July, children aged 10 or 11 can now use the e-gates when entering the UK. This move was made following successful trails in an attempt to make summer holidays easier for families.
The trials took place at Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted with success. The Border Force stated that they were expecting over 34 million arrivals by air over the course of the summer, with levels exceeding pre-pandemic levels. 400,000 of these passengers are expected to be children between the ages of 10 and 11, according to the Home Office.
This expansion of e-gate age limits will be put into action in 15 airports and railways stations across the country, which currently operate 293 e-gates within their systems.
The UK government has also announced that later in 2023 we can expect the introduction of an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme in the continuation of e-visas expansion.
Robert Jenrick, the Immigration Minister, said, “This national rollout will make travelling easier for passengers and strengthens the security of the UK border.
“The UK processes more passengers through eGates than any other country – and today’s announcement ensures we remain at the forefront of technology.”
So, if you’re looking forward to your next holiday, don’t wait, book now with a travel business registered with PTS for 100% financial protection through trust. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing one of the lovely PTS members to book with, you can contact PTS directly at 0207 190 9988 or check us out on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
And if you’d like to learn more about your financial protection with PTS or how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages and Travel Advice.
