Smart gates make DXB airport journey easier; scanning documents no longer needed

You don’t need to stand in line anymore when travelling from Dubai International Airport (DXB), particularly at Immigration. Emirates ID cardholders, visitors who have a visa on arrival and a biometric passport can make their way through DXB seamlessly with the “enhanced” smart gates that use the latest biometric facial and iris recognition technology.

However, you need to be registered to use the gates. All guests who have recently arrived at DXB are likely to have been registered on entering the immigration touchpoint. Passage with biometric clearance applies to those registered with GDRFA since 2019.

Here’s a quick reference guide from Dubai Airports on using the enhanced smart gates:

If you’re registered for the smart gates, you can pass through by simply looking at the green light, without the need to scan a document. Smart gates match faces to data connected to immigration databases which identify if the passenger is a UAE National, GCC National, UAE resident or a visa-on-arrival guest.

Just remember to remove anything covering your face – such as masks, glasses and hats – and keep your passport and boarding pass ready in case they are needed.

There are no additional fees for using the service and it speeds up the airport travel journey.

However, passports and boarding passes should be kept close to hand just in case they’re needed.

People of determination and guests with large strollers, families with children and guests who are under 15 or under 1.2 metres in heights should refrain from using the service.

in other news, more than 107,082 passengers arrived in Dubai on New Year’s Eve, with 95,445 travellers arriving through Dubai Airports.

December has been exceptionally busy for Dubai International owing to a combination of factors including the seasonal influx of visitors, the recently concluded football event in Doha, and Dubai’s popularity as a preferred tourist destination over the past two years.

Read: Dubai welcomes over 23.7 million passengers in 2022