Vietnam introduces electronic immigration gates
Vietnam introduces electronic immigration gates
In August 2023, the Vietnam Immigration Department launched a trial of electronic border control systems at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The ten automatic control gates, called Autogates, are set to reduce the waiting time at immigration and ease the exit and entry process for travellers.
Currently, the Autogates are available for use by Vietnamese citizens or foreigners holding permanent or temporary residents cards when exiting the country. Upon entry, the system is only open for holders of Vietnamese diplomatic or official passports or flight crew. International visitors are not yet able to use the electronic gates, but this may change as the trial continues.
To use the electronic gates, travellers must have a passport with an electronic chip. Those who are using a passport without an electronic chip must complete an additional registration process before proceeding. At the Autogate, travellers will be required to scan their boarding pass and the first page of their passports before having their photograph taken and fingerprints scanned. The entire process is said to take less than one minute.
Tan Son Nhat is Vietnam’s busiest airport, processing an average of 60,000-70,000 passengers each day. Autogates are also being tested at other Vietnamese airports, including Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc airports.
