The United States will stop routinely stamping passports when travellers enter the country. Biometric records will take the place of ink stamps.

US Customs and Border Protection announced the change in an Oct. 1 bulletin. Officers will no longer stamp passports during primary inspection, the first check travellers face. The agency says the move will cut processing times and operating costs.

The shift is part of a wider modernisation push. CBP already uses automated forms, mobile technology and biometric facial matching. The bulletin notes that stamps were already inconsistent. Travellers with Global Entry have not been stamped for years.

Stamps will not vanish entirely. Officers may still use them during secondary inspection, for immigrant visas, or if a traveller asks for one. Requests will be honoured when appropriate, the agency said.

Travellers should not rely on a stamp as proof of entry. The official record is the electronic Form I-94. Foreign visitors can view their admission record, status and authorised stay on the CBP I-94 website or app.

The bulletin sets no fixed date for the end of stamping. CBP has been piloting the change at major airports since December 2021.