E-gates at HSIA now operational for travellers

Dhaka: E-gates became operational for e-passport holders at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital from June 7.

Col Md Khalid Saifullah, Additional Director of the e-passport project, announced the development.

27 electronic gates (e-gates) have been opened to travellers and with this, the lengthy immigration formalities at Dhaka airport end hopefully.

The immigration formalities will take very little time for the arriving and departing travellers now, added Saifullah.

The passengers will not need to wait in queues, as the e-gates will open automatically for those with e-passports, he further claimed.

The e-gates were installed at HSIA by Veridos GmbH, a German company, which got the contract for the ABC project in July 2018.

Saifullah also mentioned that the government has plans to set up a total of 50 electronic gates at other airports and land ports under the "E-Passport and Automated Border Control Management Project".

Officials at the HSIA said the e-gates would automatically complete the immigration formalities, minimising human interactions.

Even though the e-gates were inaugurated by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in June 2021, the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) has not been able to use them. As a result, immigration of e-passport holders was being done manually until now.

It may be mentioned here, Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia to launch e-gates for e-passports.

As the e-gates have become operational now, the camera attached to the gate will identify the passenger automatically after analysing information from the e-passport chip.

The e-gates will identify air passengers after scanning the e-passports. The process ensures high security during the verification of travel documents. Global travellers will have a hassle-free experience at the airport.

The government launched the e-passport programme and automated border control (ABC) management in January 2020, aiming to modernise the immigration process and to enhance the acceptability of the Bangladesh passport.

After the e-gates were set up in 2019, officials received training on operating them.

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