Advancing the Next Chapter of the New Clearance Concept (NCC)
The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) held its annual Workplan Seminar on 8 May 2026 at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, with the theme ‘Our Next Chapter – Embracing Innovation, Empowered by Technology’. Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs was the Guest-of-Honour for the event.
2. Under the New Clearance Concept (NCC), ICA has fundamentally transformed the way border clearance is conducted. Traditionally, immigration clearance was performed by officers at manual counters. Under the NCC, this has shifted towards automated lanes across the air, land and sea checkpoints, supported by biometrics, pre-arrival data and the risk assessment capabilities of ICA’s Integrated Targeting Centre (ITC). This has enabled faster and more seamless immigration clearance, while strengthening Singapore’s border security.
3. Building on this first phase of transformation, ICA will embark on the next phase of the NCC — extending automated clearance beyond individual travellers to all vehicles at land checkpoints.
Achieving Automated Immigration Clearance for Travellers under the NCC
4. Automated immigration clearance is now the norm at Singapore’s checkpoints, and Singapore likely the first country to have achieved this for all travellers. Since May 2024, all foreign visitors arriving in Singapore can use the automated lanes without the need for prior enrolment. A key feature of this transformation is passport-less clearance, which has benefited Singapore residents and departing foreign travellers to clear immigration seamlessly through:
- Token-less clearance: Travellers clear immigration using only facial and iris biometrics, without presenting their passports. This initiative has been fully implemented at Changi Airport, Seletar Airport, Marina Bay Cruise Centre and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
- QR code clearance: Travellers clear immigration using QR codes generated via the MyICA mobile application. This has been fully implemented at the land checkpoints since January 2025.
5. In 2025, close to 127 million travellers cleared immigration without having to produce their passports, representing a 270.2% increase compared to 2024.
6. ICA has also enhanced automated clearance for motorcyclists. Since 31 March 2026, facial images have been progressively replacing fingerprint scanning as the primary biometric identifier for motorcyclists and pillion riders at Woodlands Checkpoint, and will be extended to Tuas Checkpoint in the third quarter of 2026. As of 30 April 2026, more than 1.2 million motorcyclists and pillion riders have cleared immigration using facial images.
Next Chapter of the NCC: Automated Clearance for all Vehicles at the Land Checkpoints
7. The land checkpoints handle the highest proportion of travellers in Singapore, and this has exceeded pre-COVID levels. In 2025, ICA cleared close to 245 million travellers, an increase of 6.3% from 2024. To increase clearance throughput while maintaining robust border security, ICA will extend automation beyond individual travellers to vehicles.
8. ICA will progressively introduce the Automated Passenger Clearance System (APCS), which is likely the world’s first automated in-vehicle immigration clearance for multiple travellers. Drivers and passengers travelling by cars, motorcycles, and cargo vehicles will be able to perform automated self-immigration clearance without disembarking from their vehicles. This will increase clearance throughput, while providing a more seamless clearance experience.
9. More importantly, the APCS strengthens security alongside convenience. The APCS lanes are equipped with counter-forgery capabilities and multi-modal biometric verification, enhancing ICA’s ability to detect imposters and fraudulent documents. Automation also enables officers to be redeployed from manual clearance functions to higher-value roles such as profiling, conducting targeted interviews and investigations, strengthening ICA’s overall border security posture.
10. The APCS is also complemented by ICA’s ITC, which leverages advance passenger and vehicle information, together with data analytics, to identify high-risk travellers, vehicles and consignments ahead of their arrival. Such cases are flagged at the APCS lanes and referred for more stringent checks, enabling more targeted and effective detections.
11. To ensure that the APCS system is intuitive and user-friendly, ICA will continue engaging different segments of travellers in its design and implementation. In the months ahead, live trials will be conducted at the APCS lanes at Tuas Checkpoint to collect user feedback, enabling ICA to refine the system for operational effectiveness.
APCS@Car
12. APCS@Car was a key highlight of ICA’s Workplan Seminar 2026. Visitors were able to view a physical model exhibit that demonstrated how automated in-vehicle immigration clearance for cars will be carried out.
13. Under the APCS@Car initiative, drivers and passengers can complete immigration clearance within their vehicles by presenting their QR codes or passports at the APCS lanes, followed by facial biometric verification. Biometric-enabled tablets docked at the lanes may also be used to facilitate clearance for passengers within the vehicle.
14. The implementation of APCS@Car is expected to deliver significant operational and user benefits. By transitioning from manual face-to-face checks to biometric verification at the APCS lanes, border security will be enhanced while reducing reliance on officer-manned counters. With less need for manual intervention, a single officer can oversee multiple lanes remotely via a dashboard, which provides access to live camera feeds of the APCS lanes. Travellers are also able to communicate directly with officers through an intercom at each lane. These enhancements allow the APCS lanes to operate continuously, enabling ICA to scale up clearance capacity more efficiently and provide a more seamless experience for travellers.
15. APCS@Car lanes may also be configured to clear up to two motorcycles at any one time, depending on traffic conditions and operational needs, increasing ICA’s operational flexibility capabilities at the checkpoints. APCS@Car will be progressively implemented at Tuas Checkpoint from early 2027, before subsequent roll-out to the redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint.
APCS@Cargo
16. In addition to cars, ICA will implement the APCS for cargo vehicles from early 2027 at Tuas Checkpoint before subsequent roll-out to the redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint.
17. Similar to APCS@Car, drivers and attendants will be able to perform self-clearance within the cargo vehicle by presenting their QR codes or passports, followed by contactless biometric verification at the APCS@Cargo kiosks. Biometric-enabled tablets docked at the kiosks may also be used to facilitate self-clearance for attendants within the cargo vehicle. The APCS@Cargo kiosks are adjustable in height to facilitate immigration clearance for drivers and passengers in cargo vehicles of different heights.
18. ICA continues to adopt a “Digital-First, but not Digital Only” approach to further enhance our delivery of immigration and registration services under our Services Centre Next Generation (SCNG) plans. Today, more than 95% of customers transact with ICA online or via the MyICA mobile application.
- Appointment & Queue System (AQS) – A user-friendly online platform for customers to book appointments, receive timely notifications and check in digitally. Upon arrival, customers can proceed straight to the designated service room, reducing waiting time on-site.
- Integrated Smart Document Management System (iSMART) – An automated, robotic and biometric solution that enables eligible customers to collect their passports and identity cards at self-collection kiosks. The current collection process via these kiosks takes around five minutes at any time on the appointment day, compared to about 11 minutes in the past.
- iAssist – A dedicated service area to provide in-person assistance to those who face difficulties using digital transactions. ISC officers are trained to handle multiple services, allowing for more holistic and efficient service delivery.
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Technologies
20. To further build on our SCNG vision, ICA will harness AI and digital technologies to provide even better service experience for our customers through innovative technology-driven solutions.
21. In collaboration with HTX, ICA has developed a Multimodal AI for Text Recognition & Information eXtraction (MATRIX), an advanced AI-driven tool designed to streamline document processing. MATRIX utilises a Visual Language Model (VLM) to analyse and understand the context of various documents, regardless of their format or layout. This enables the system to accurately identify and extract critical information from a wide range of document types. By improving the accuracy of data extraction by up to threefold, MATRIX significantly enhances processing efficiency and boosts productivity, thus allowing ICA to handle documents more effectively.
22. ICA will also introduce an AI anomaly detection initiative to automatically check submitted documents for irregularities. This helps officers spot potentially altered documents such as education or marriage certificates which are submitted as part of applications for immigration facilities. By handling the initial screening, the AI model allows officers to process applications with greater precision.
23. Self-service enrolment kiosks (iEnrol) will be introduced at the ISC, starting with a trial in the fourth quarter of 2026. Equipped with AI capabilities, iEnrol enables customers to self-enrol their biometrics and complete their formalities such as PR or Long-Term Pass applications in a secure and convenient manner. This reduces waiting times and provides greater flexibility in how services are accessed. The digitalisation of biometric enrolment – currently conducted manually by ICA officers – further enhances operational efficiency by allowing officers to focus on higher-value functions such as handling complex cases.
Other Upcoming Initiatives
Digitalisation of cargo clearance
24. Since March 2023, ICA has allowed drivers and traders to pre-submit vehicle and cargo permit information via the MyICA mobile application or e-Service prior to arrival at the checkpoint. This has made cargo clearance almost paperless, enabling drivers to clear cargo without presenting any physical permits and supporting documents, reducing clearance time by about 30%. About 98% of drivers are currently using the paperless cargo clearance system.
25. Building on this, ICA will progressively implement Automated Cargo Permit Clearance (ACPC) from July 2026 across the air, land and sea cargo checkpoints. Upon arrival, vehicles will pass through the Radiographic Scanning System, where the vehicle number is automatically captured and matched against the pre-submitted vehicle and cargo permit information. If no anomalies are detected, cargo can be cleared automatically without officers’ intervention, facilitating faster throughput as compared to having officers manually clear the cargo permits at the counters. Those flagged for discrepancies will still be referred for further inspection by ICA officers.
26. Since March 2023, ICA has allowed drivers and traders to pre-submit vehicle and cargo permit information via the MyICA mobile application or e-Service prior to arrival at the checkpoint. This has made cargo clearance almost paperless, enabling drivers to clear cargo without presenting any physical permits and supporting documents, reducing clearance time by about 30%. About 98% of drivers are currently using the paperless cargo clearance system.
Future Infrastructure and Connectivity
27. A new Singapore Cruise Centre at HarbourFront is expected to commence operations from July 2026, with automated lanes supporting token-less clearance and up to 25% higher passenger clearance capacity compared to the existing Singapore Cruise Centre.
28. The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, expected to commence operations by end-December 2026, will significantly enhance cross-border connectivity. With co-located clearance facilities in Singapore and Malaysia, travellers will only need to undergo immigration clearance at the point of departure, for a more seamless experience. RTS Link trains can carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, with each journey taking about five minutes.
29. Over the next 10 to 15 years, Woodlands Checkpoint will be redeveloped and expanded in phases to address congestion and improve clearance efficiency.
30. As ICA moves on to the next chapter of our transformation journey, we will continue to leverage innovation and technology to deliver secure, seamless and efficient immigration clearance while keeping Singapore’s borders safe and secure.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
8 MAY 2026
Appendix - Information on the APCS Clearance Lanes
