Media Release
20 June 2016
Australia’s SMARTGATE Now Open To Macau ePassport Holders
Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection announced today that its automated arrival border clearance option ‘SmartGate’ is now opened permanently to eligible Macau ePassport holders. SmartGate uses electronic information in ePassports and face recognition technology to perform the immigration checks usually performed by a Border Force officer.
Macau is one of eight new eligible passports with access to Australia’s SmartGate option. This means arrivals SmartGates at all Australian international airports will now provide a permanent automated border clearance option for many of Australia’s most regular visitors.
Macau travellers will still need to apply for a visa before arriving in Australia.
In conjunction with this announcement, the Public Security Police Force of Macau has also announced reciprocal access for Australian nationals to its automated clearance channels. Holders of Australian passports can enrol for the e-Channel service in Macau free of charge.
Australian Consul-General, Mr Paul Tighe, said the automated clearance services provide greater travel convenience for Macau and Australian passport holders. SmartGate enables Macau travellers to move through border clearance more quickly and effectively. It also builds on Australia’s previous decisions to introduce online applications and label-free Australian visas for Macau passports holders. This also means our Border Force officers can focus on detecting unlawful activity at the border.
More than 35 million travellers were processed through Australian airports in 2014–15. The number of travellers arriving in Australia is steadily increasing and the expansion of SmartGate to other eligible passport holders will help Australia maintain border security while providing a simple arrival process for travellers.
For more detailed information about Australia’s SmartGate, visit: https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/smartgates.