Children as young as eight allowed to use e-gates at UK airports

Children as young as eight will be able to use e-gates at UK airports when returning from abroad, the Home Office announced.

They will need to be at least 4ft (120cm) tall so they can be seen by biometric scanner and accompanied by an adult when the rule change comes in on 8 July.

Passengers aged under 10 are currently banned from using the gates, forcing many families to queue for passport booths.

Expanding their use to include children aged eight and nine means up to 1.5 million additional youngsters will be able to use them, according to the government.

Read more from Sky News:
GDP figures show unexpected growth
Revealed: UK's 12 most wanted

Migration minister Mike Tapp said more families would "experience a swifter and smoother journey home" this summer.

The UK has nearly 300 e-gates, which use facial recognition technology to check passengers' identities against the photo in their passport, which is generally quicker than manual inspections.

As well as the 13 UK airports with e-gates, children aged eight and nine will also be allowed to use them at ports in Brussels and Paris, where checks take place before boarding.

Border Force director-general Phil Douglas said increasing access to e-gates enabled "highly skilled officers to focus on intercepting those who pose a threat to the UK".

UK e-gates are available to Britons as well as nationals from the European Union, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the US.

They can also be used by members of the registered traveller service.

(c) Sky News 2026: Children as young as eight allowed to use e-gates at UK airports