Passport control with no questions asked

Passengers using Larnaca and Paphos airports will soon have a new automated way to go through passport control, without having to stare at an official.

The state’s procurement committee, the Central Committee on Changes and Claims, has struck a deal with Hermes Airports after a series of negotiations, setting a deadline to install an automated passport control system. The aim is to cut long queues at passport control during peak times.

Passengers eligible to use the system will simply go to an unmanned booth and place their passport on a small screen. The document will be scanned and then the passenger will look straight into the camera. At that moment, a computer will take a photo of the passenger’s face. If everything checks out, the passenger will clear the passport control area.
 
In case there is an issue with a passenger or passport, then immigration officers and airport security personnel will be on standby.

The installation and implementation of the automated system, which is expected to reduce waiting lines at Passport Control during peak times, is scheduled to be completed this summer, with 51% of the cost paid by Hermes and 49% by the state, according to Phileleftheros newspaper.