Passport “autogate” facilities at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport officially commenced operations yesterday, allowing Indonesian travelers as well as tourists from 12 other countries to use the automated system to electronically verify their information for immigration.
Immigration director general Ronny F. Sompie explained that the new technology will enable faster and more accurate immigration services for travelers, as reported by state news agency Antara.
“If you use the autogate system, the immigration process won’t take more than a minute. If passengers can start using the facility, it will reduce the workload on immigration officials … especially if there happens to be a long queue,” Ronny said.
The new system is expected to gradually replace the manual checks and verifications of passports done by immigration officials.
As reported by Kompas.com, the autogate service in Indonesian airports was previously available only for the country’s citizens since it was first launched in 2014.
Now, foreign tourists can also enjoy the service, though they have to be nationals from ASEAN countries, Australia, New Zealand or East Timor. In addition, the facility is only available to them at the departure halls for the time being.
Ronny also said that the passport autogate system had been tested by foreign travelers who were participants of the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bali last year. During that trial period, the system successfully handled over 2,000 passports.
As showcased in a video posted by Ngurah Rai’s Immigration, the process involves scanning one’s passport, followed by a fingerprint and facial scan. It is estimated to take about 35 to 60 seconds in total.
Udah resmi launching nih mesin auto gate di Tempat Pemeriksaan Imigrasi Bandar Udara I Gusti Ngurah Rai. Udah pernah nyobain belum? pic.twitter.com/oZfaqn4Nwj
— Imigrasi Ngurah Rai (@imngurahrai) September 4, 2019
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