Which UK airports have e-gates?

Which airports and railway stations have ePassport gates?
  • Birmingham Airport (BHX)
  • Bristol Airport (BRS)
  • Cardiff Airport (CWL)
  • East Midlands Airport (EMA)
  • Edinburgh Airport (EDI)
  • Eurostar Brussels-South Terminal (juxtaposed controls)
  • Eurostar Paris Nord Terminal (juxtaposed controls)
  • Gatwick Airport (LGW)




In 2026, most major UK international airports are equipped with automated e-Passport gates to streamline entry for eligible travelers (citizens of the UK, EU, US, Canada, Australia, and several others with biometric passports). The primary airports featuring these gates include London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW), London Stansted (STN), London City (LCY), and London Luton (LTN). Beyond the capital, e-gates are operational at Manchester (MAN), Birmingham (BHX), Bristol (BRS), East Midlands (EMA), Newcastle (NCL), Edinburgh (EDI), and Glasgow (GLA). Additionally, e-gates can be found at "juxtaposed" border controls in Eurostar terminals like St Pancras International. These gates use facial recognition technology to match the passenger to their passport chip, significantly reducing wait times. However, travelers with children under 10 (or occasionally under 12) or those with damaged passport chips are still required to use the manual "manned" desks to clear immigration.

People Also Ask

A total of 293 passport e-gates are present at 13 airports in the United Kingdom (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, Luton, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle) and at the Eurostar railway terminals in Brussels and Paris. Use of e-gates.

MORE DETAILS

British citizens, European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss citizens who are aged 10 or over and holding biometric passports are eligible to use the ePassport gates. ePassport gates are usually marked with this symbol ( ). The ePassport gates do not, however, accept national identity cards.

MORE DETAILS

Assuming you are a US citizen you are eligible to use the ePassport gates at Heathrow. You most likely do not need a visa, and EXP and GE have nothing to do with UK immigration.

MORE DETAILS

95% of arriving passengers should be processed within 45 minutes - but as said above, there are so many variables...

MORE DETAILS

Delays at Heathrow, the Daily Mail also reported, have been due to extensions in Border Force shift hours to cope with the increased arrival numbers. Some staff are now forced to work 12 hours each day which has caused an increase in staff calling in sick due to exhaustion.

MORE DETAILS

How do I avoid immigration queues at Heathrow? Once the check is made successfully, the gate opens automatically for you to walk through. Using e-gates helps you to avoid the queues and get through passport control more quickly. A Passenger Ambassador is available to help should you need it.

MORE DETAILS