Children Aged 8 and 9 Can Use UK eGates from This Summer
14 May 2026
From 8 July 2026, children aged 8 and 9 years old will be able to use the automated eGate lanes at UK airports and ports. The Home Office announced the change on 14 May 2026. Before this, children needed to be at least 10 years old to use eGates.
To use an eGate, a child aged 8 or 9 must be at least 120cm (3ft 11in) tall and must be accompanied by an adult. The change covers more than 290 eGates at UK airports, seaports, and the juxtaposed border controls in France and Belgium. The Home Office estimates around 1.5 million additional children will become eligible each year.
Whether your child can use an eGate depends on the passport they hold. eGates are open to nationals of EU member states and the following countries: Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and the USA. Children with a British passport can also use eGates. This is relevant for families where a child has registered as a British citizen, for example after a parent reached ILR, or where a child was born British. If your child holds a passport from a country not on the eligible list, such as a Hong Kong SAR passport or a passport from India, the Philippines, Nigeria, or Zimbabwe, they will still need to use a staffed border lane.
For families on the UK Ancestry route from Australia, Canada, or New Zealand, children travelling on those passports will benefit directly from this change. For BNO families, children who have not yet registered as British will not be able to use eGates. If you have recently obtained ILR and your UK-born child is eligible to register as British, this is another practical reason to consider applying promptly.
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