MANILA -- Inbound Filipino passengers passing through e-gates in international ports will no longer be issued arrival stickers starting April 1.

The Bureau of Immigration said it discontinued releasing arrival stickers in electronic gates or e-gates in some of the country’s international airports.

Arrival stickers are attached to passports as proof of arrival in the country.

BI Deputy Spokesperson Melvin Mabulac told ABS-CBN News that the move was to expedite immigration process even for a matter of seconds.

“Pag dagsa ang pasahero, nagbibuild up din po ‘yon kasi nagdidikit pa sila ng sticker. To be able to go with fast processing dapat tuloy-tuloy po kaya to be more efficient, inalis natin ang sticker na ‘yon,” Mabulac said.

Mabulac added that the bureau is transitioning to paperless, digital, and label-free immigration procedure.

“Ito’y ginagawa hindi lang Pilipinas pero pati sa ibang bansa… Wala ka nang makikitang tatak, wala nang sticker na ilalagay kasi meron naman tayo sa system. Nakikita naman ng immigration ang ating travel history. At kung may sticker, that is additional cost to the government as well,” Mabulac said.

In lieu of arrival stickers, confirmation of arrival will be sent to passengers’ email addresses indicated in their eTravel registration.

However, arrival stamps may still be requested to be affixed on passports through immigration supervisors near e-gates.

International airports with e-gates are Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 3, Clark International Airport, Mactan Cebu International Airport, and Francisco Bangoy International Airport.

The Bureau of Immigration sees to equip 50 percent of the country’s international ports with e-gates by 2026.