Technology has the potential to make traversing borders safer and more efficient
Global travel is booming again while, at the same time, border threats are increasing. This dual problem is putting government border agencies under tremendous pressure: they need to maintain national security while providing smooth and efficient travel flows. Yet, outdated manual and analogue systems cannot keep up.
This is where modern border tech comes in. Today’s modern digital platforms bring together travel authorisations, biometrics and real-time risk checks to keep things secure and moving fast.
Budgets are tight. Staff are stretched thin. And the tech is often outdated. Meanwhile, traveller numbers keep climbing while various threats are increasing and evolving. Digital tools help address these problems. For instance, online electronic travel authorisations and e-visas let travellers apply online from anywhere with no need for in-person consular visits. Real-time updates to entry rules become easy to do with Advance Passenger Processing (APP) and it does not require systems overhauls. And biometric automated border control gates and kiosks speed up ID checks, so border agency officers can focus their attention on the high-risk travellers.
The results are lower costs, faster passenger processing, stronger security and smoother traveller journeys through airport and cruise terminal passport checkpoints.
Border policies can shift quickly thanks to politics, global events and new rules. Agencies must stay in step with international standards, industry frameworks and regulations. Rigid systems cannot keep pace. But more flexible digital ones can. Dynamic APP lets governments change entry criteria easily and share information with airlines to approve or deny boarding based on identity, documentation and risk profiles.
Extraordinary circumstances
COVID-19 showed just how vulnerable manual border checks can be. The health threats created long lines, lots of contact between border agents and passengers along with slow health screenings. Now, digital systems are built with health in mind. Travellers can upload test results or vaccine records before they fly for verification. Self-service eGates and kiosks with facial recognition make for fast, contactless entry or exit processing. And everything updates in real time.
Wars, natural disasters and economic crises are forcing millions to move. Borders need to handle sudden surges while treating these people with care and dignity. Digital tools help make that possible. In a digital clearance process, Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) serve as the first layer, pre-screening travellers before they begin their journey. At departure, APP links to this data, allowing airlines to verify authorisation and to approve or deny boarding in real time. Upon arrival, eGates use biometric checks to match travellers with their cleared records by automating and efficiently finalising the clearance process. Together, these systems create a continuous, risk-based control flow from pre-travel to arrival.
Transnational criminal organisations (TCOs) exploit border weaknesses to illicitly move drugs, weapons and counterfeit goods and to traffic people. Manual checks alone can’t stop them. Digital platforms offer a smarter defence. Governments can conduct real-time risk profiling using Passenger Name Record (PNR) data, APP integration with watchlists, biometric collection with ETAs and travel histories to flag suspicious travellers.
Text | Andy Smith
Photography | Frame Stock Footage
Andy Smith is the Director of Industry and Innovation at SITA. For more information, go to sita.co.za.
