How Many Ports Have eGates? There are 15 ports with eGates including Birmingham, East Midlands, London City, Luton, Stansted, Heathrow, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Cardiff and Gatwick Airport, as well as Eurostar terminals in Brussels-Midi/Zuid and Paris Gare Du Nord.

In 2026, eligibility for the e-gates (automated passport gates) at London Heathrow has expanded but is now strictly tied to the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system. You can use the e-gates if you are a citizen of the UK, EU, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, or South Korea, and are aged 10 or older (children 10-17 must be accompanied by an adult). Importantly, as of February 25, 2026, all non-visa nationals must have a valid digital ETA linked to their biometric passport to be granted entry via the gate. If your passport is damaged, if you are traveling on a national ID card (for EU citizens), or if your ETA hasn't been properly synchronized, you will be redirected to a manual border officer. For those who meet the criteria, the e-gates remain the fastest way to clear immigration, typically processing a passenger in under 30 seconds, provided they have a "biometric" symbol on their passport cover and a valid digital authorization on file.