By Lane Afable, News Editor
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on May 5 commenced the dry run of 18 additional electronic gates (eGates) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, as part of the government’s push to modernize border control systems in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
With the installation of these new units, the total number of eGates at NAIA T3 now stands at 30, complementing the previously deployed systems and further enhancing passenger processing efficiency.
The BI emphasized that the use of eGates is currently limited to passengers of airlines compliant with the Philippine government’s Advance Passenger Information (API) requirement. For this initial phase, qualified users include arriving Filipino passengers from API-compliant airlines and departing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) traveling via API-compliant airlines.
The Bureau said that compliance with API is a key requirement for passengers to be eligible to use the eGates, as it allows pre-screening and faster, more secure immigration clearance. Expansion to qualified foreign nationals is targeted in the next phase of implementation. Currently, almost 90% of airlines flying in and out of the country complies with this technical requirement.
All eGates installed—including those previously deployed—were deployed by the New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation, emphasizing a collaborative effort between the government and its infrastructure partners to improve passenger experience and strengthen border security.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado assured the public of the Bureau’s continued commitment to enhancing immigration services through digitalization and innovation.
“We are steadily advancing toward a more efficient and secure immigration system. The rollout of additional eGates is part of our broader effort to modernize processes not only at NAIA but also across other major international airports nationwide,” Viado said.
Viado likewise urged all airlines to ensure compliance with the API requirement, noting that such compliance enables their passengers to benefit from faster and more convenient immigration processing through the eGates.
The BI said that it aims to deploy all eGates within the year.
