The Phnom Penh and Siem Reap international airports will inaugurate their E-gates on February 1. The move will allow Cambodians bearing E-passports to pass through without arrival or departure stamps, said General Department of Immigration spokesman Ath Bunny.

“We will inaugurate the E-gate on February 1. They are already ready and we just have to use them officially,” Bunny told The Post on Sunday.

On January 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a letter to all Cambodian ambassadors informing that it will inaugurate the E-gate system in the near future at the two airports.

The letter also told Cambodian ambassadors to relay the information on the E-gates to relevant foreign officials.

Bunny said the E-gate system can only be used with Cambodian passports that have a chip embedded.

“Passengers who carry an E-passport to use the machine, all they have to do is insert their passports and follow the guidelines that appear on the screen."

“After inserting their passports, they also need to scan fingerprints. As soon as the machine matches the fingerprints as belonging to the passport holder, the gate will be automatically opened,” he said.