Written Reply to Parliament Question on Enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System Fingerprint Detection Failure Rate by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in respect of the enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System (a) what is the failure rate of fingerprint detection; and (b) whether measures can be implemented to assist travellers with dry fingers such as placing bottles of moisturiser near the scanners.

Answer:

1. The enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS) allows Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents, Long Term Pass Holders and other eligible users with machine-readable passports, and whose fingerprints have been pre-enrolled with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to clear immigration via the automated gates.

2. However, travellers with faded, scarred, or excessively wet or dry fingerprints may face difficulties using the eIACS. On average, such cases amounted to about 3% of all travellers who used the eIACS. These travellers are referred to the manned counters for immigration clearance.

3. ICA plans to introduce iris scan technology progressively at our checkpoints over the next two years. Travellers who face difficulties with fingerprint matching will be able to use iris scan when they clear immigration via the automated gates. Iris scan technology will complement the current fingerprint matching process for automated immigration clearance, and provides an additional avenue for ICA to verify a traveller's identity.