Cyprus is purchasing 40 new e-gates for its airports: how passport control will change and what it means for tourists

Cyprus is preparing to completely upgrade its passport control system at Larnaca and Paphos airports. The Republic has ordered 40 modern automated border control gates — Automated Border Control (ABC) Gates, or e-gates. The equipment is due to arrive by the end of 2026 and will then be installed in the passenger terminals of both airports. The decision was made as Cyprus prepares for future accession to the Schengen Area and needs to modernise its border infrastructure.

Cypriot airports currently use a different system: passengers first go through an interactive kiosk that scans their passport, photographs them and performs automated checks, but the final decision is still made by a passport control officer. In other words, the current system automates the collection of information, but not the process of allowing passengers to cross the border. ABC Gates work differently: they independently scan a biometric passport, match the passenger's photograph with the biometric data in the document and open the gate after a successful check. If the system detects a discrepancy or the need for additional checks, the passenger is referred to a border service officer.

The performance of the current kiosks was one of the reasons for discussing the reform. According to Minister of Justice and Public Order Kostas Fitiris, in 2025, 65.6% of checks carried out through the kiosks received the code «PG» — Passenger Granted, meaning that the passenger did not receive a positive automatic indication and an officer's intervention was required. Another 13% of cases received the code «MI» — Minor, relating to additional checks on accompanied minors. The remaining 21.4% required further checks because of alerts in national and European databases, security-related questions or other prescribed procedures.

This is an important detail: the high proportion of referrals to an officer does not mean that the system regularly «makes mistakes» or is unable to cope on a large scale. Some of these checks are built into the architecture of border control itself. An automated system is designed to quickly identify situations requiring human involvement, rather than make decisions independently in every case. The transition to ABC Gates should therefore be viewed not as a complete replacement of border guards with artificial intelligence, but as a transfer of the most standard checks to an automated level.

For the average tourist, the potential benefit is obvious — less manual work and faster passage through passport control during periods of high traffic. A passenger with a suitable biometric document will not necessarily have to undergo a full check by an officer every time: the system will be able to confirm their identity independently and allow them to pass. At the same time, passengers with document problems, biometric mismatches or alerts in verification databases will still be referred to officers.

The upgrade is particularly relevant against the backdrop of the digitalisation of European borders. From 10 April 2026, the Entry/Exit System (EES) will be fully operational in the countries participating in the system: when crossing an external border, biometric data — a facial image and fingerprints — will be used for the relevant categories of travellers, while information about entries and exits will be recorded digitally. The system is intended to replace the traditional practice of stamping passports and make it easier to detect overstays and cases involving the use of someone else's documents.

However, there is an important nuance here: Cyprus is not yet part of the Schengen Area and does not participate in the EES, so the current upgrade does not mean that, the day after all 40 gates are installed, the Cypriot border will begin operating according to a fully Schengen-style model. The minister also stressed that the initial choice of interactive kiosks was linked to the technological and spatial circumstances of the time, rather than to the fact that Cyprus does not yet apply the entire Schengen acquis. After the country joins the Schengen Area, the operation of the kiosks and the categories of passengers eligible to use them will be reviewed.

Interestingly, the authorities had previously considered another way to speed up the current process: installing e-gates directly after the kiosks and using QR codes on the receipts issued by them. The idea was abandoned because, in the authorities' assessment, the additional step could increase the overall time needed to pass passport control instead of reducing it.

Frontex officers also play an important role in the existing system. Representatives of the Frontex Standing Corps working at the airports at the request of the Republic of Cyprus operate under the direction of the Cypriot police and perform the functions of migration service officers: they check documents, take part in passport control and conduct secondary checks. Final responsibility for border control, however, remains with Cyprus's national authorities.

For passengers, this means a gradual transition from a «kiosk plus mandatory officer» model to more automated control. But travellers should not expect a completely contactless airport just yet: automation will speed up standard procedures, while border guards will retain a key role wherever a human decision is required.

In the longer term, the 40 new ABC Gates are expected to become part of a broader overhaul of Cyprus's border infrastructure. Although tourists will primarily notice the new gates and shorter queues, the project's main goal is much broader — to prepare the country's airports for the European digital border control system and enable them to handle growing passenger traffic with less pressure on staff. At the same time, the experience of other European airports shows that biometrics alone do not guarantee the disappearance of queues: during the large-scale rollout of new verification systems, temporary delays may instead occur while infrastructure and staff adapt to the new procedures.