Two genuine changes have landed at UK Border Force eGates this year. Children as young as 8 can now use them without queuing at a desk, and a handful of airports have started testing a contactless system that doesn't need your passport at all. Here's exactly what's changed, where it applies, and what it means for your next trip home.
It's easy to see "eGates" mentioned in the news twice this year and assume it's the same story. It isn't. In July 2026, the Home Office lowered the minimum age to use the eGates from 10 to 8. In October 2026, a completely separate rollout began testing a new contactless version of the eGates themselves, where eligible passengers don't need to place their passport on the reader at all. Both only apply when you're coming back into the UK, not when you're going through border control somewhere like Spain, Greece or Turkey on the way out. If it's the EU side of things you're after, I've covered the EES and ETIAS systems that affect travel into the Schengen area separately.
The minimum age dropped from 10 to 8, as long as the child is at least 120cm tall and travelling with an adult. Around 1.5 million more children are now expected to be eligible each year.
A new system checks your face against your immigration and passport record automatically, no passport on the reader needed. It launched at East Midlands Airport first, for British citizens only, and is rolling out further.
Until July this year, any child under 10 had to go through a manned Border Force desk with you when you landed back in the UK, even if the rest of the family could use the eGates. From 8 July 2026, that minimum age dropped to 8, which the Home Office estimates makes about 1.5 million more children eligible each year, based on 2025 arrival figures.
There are two conditions worth knowing before you get to the gate. The child needs to be at least 120cm tall (roughly 3ft 11in), since that's the minimum height the camera and scanner can reliably read, and they still need to be travelling with an adult, the gates aren't designed for an unaccompanied child to use alone. Alex Norris, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, said the change was designed to "make journeys easier for families with small children" and free up more time for people to actually enjoy being back, rather than queuing.
If your child is right around 120cm, it's worth measuring them properly before you fly rather than guessing. If they don't quite make the height on the day, Border Force staff will simply direct your family to a manned desk instead, it isn't a problem, just a few extra minutes.
This is the newer, and genuinely bigger, change. From 6 October 2026, the Home Office began rolling out a contactless version of the eGates. Instead of placing your passport on the reader, the gate takes a photo of you and checks it against your immigration, travel and passport information automatically. If everything matches, the gate just opens. Testing shows it's up to 25% faster than the standard passport-on-reader process.
East Midlands Airport was first, with a small number of contactless gates live from day one. The plan is to upgrade every eGate across the UK by early 2027, with the rollout reaching Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted over the coming months. For now, it's only open to British citizens, with the Home Office saying other eGate eligible nationalities will be added later.
Two things to keep in mind. You still need to carry your passport with you at all times, even if you don't end up placing it on a reader, since you'll be asked for it if any further checks are needed or if you're sent to a Border Force officer. And if you hold dual British nationality, travel on a valid British passport, or carry a Certificate of Entitlement, to avoid potential delays at the border.
Don't go looking for a contactless gate specifically on your next trip home unless you're flying into East Midlands. Everywhere else is still running the standard eGates for now, and Border Force officers will be on hand at every gate either way if anything doesn't go through automatically.
| What changed | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age to use an eGate | 10 years old | 8 years old, must be at least 120cm tall and with an adult |
| How you're checked | Passport placed on the reader at every gate | At trial airports, a photo checked automatically, no passport on the reader needed for eligible passengers |
| Who can use the new contactless system | N/A | British citizens only for now, other eGate eligible nationalities to follow |
| Where it's available | N/A | East Midlands Airport first, expanding to 12 more airports by early 2027 |
| Claimed speed improvement | N/A | Up to 25% faster than a standard passport eGate, per Home Office testing |
Figures reflect the Home Office's own announcements at the time of writing. The contactless rollout is ongoing, so check which system is in use at your specific airport closer to your travel date.
If you've been travelling with an 8 or 9 year old and automatically heading for the manned desk out of habit, it's worth checking the eGates instead now, it could save your family a genuinely long wait, especially coming back on a busy half term or summer holiday flight. If your airport is one of the 13 getting the contactless upgrade, don't expect to notice much difference yet unless you're flying into East Midlands specifically, and don't worry if your passport never leaves your pocket there, that's the system working as intended.
None of this changes anything about booking your actual holiday, it's purely about the few minutes at the UK border on the way back. But if you've got young children and have been dreading that queue, it's genuinely worth knowing it's a shorter one than it used to be.
Yes, since 8 July 2026, as long as they're at least 120cm tall and travelling with an adult. Before that, the minimum age was 10, and younger children had to go through a manned Border Force desk.
No. If you're eligible, currently British citizens only, you simply walk up to the gate and have your photo taken, the same as you would with any eGate. There's no app, booking or extra step involved.
Yes. You should always keep a valid passport with you, even though you may not need to place it on the reader. If further checks are needed, you'll be asked to use your passport or you'll be directed to a Border Force officer.
Only East Midlands Airport has them live at the time of writing, from 6 October 2026. The Home Office plans to extend the system to Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted, with every UK eGate upgraded by early 2027.
No, both of these changes are about Border Force checks when you arrive back in the UK, not the border checks you go through abroad. Entry into EU and Schengen area countries works the way it always has, alongside the new EES system, which I've covered in a separate guide.
A smoother trip home is one less thing to think about. Tell me where you fancy going and I'll take care of the rest, honestly and without the pressure.