SINGAPORE, Sept 25 — Travellers arriving and departing through the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints by car will be required to scan their thumbprints when they clear immigration from today, as part of an expansion of the BioScreen system trials.
The BioScreen system, which captures the thumbprints of visitors arriving at and departing from Singapore’s checkpoints, will be progressively rolled out at car counters at the checkpoints, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement on Monday.
This is to allow travellers time to become familiar with this new process, added the ICA, warning that travellers may experience slightly longer immigration clearance time as a result.
Travellers aged six and above will be required to undergo the BioScreen clearance. The driver and passengers will be required to step out of their car, and scan both thumbprints as part of immigration clearance procedures at the car counters.
“Security at our checkpoints is ICA’s top priority. The BioScreen system is an important measure in this regard, as it enables ICA’s verification of travellers’ identities to be more robust,” said the ICA.
Launched in April 2016, the BioScreen system has been rolled out across various land checkpoints for train and bus travellers, and lorries and goods vehicles.
The system cleared more than half a million travellers a month after it was launched, and has proven to be an effective security measure in detecting people with “adverse records”, such as those trying to enter the country using false identities, according to the ICA last year. —TODAY
