Residents and tourists may soon be able to breeze through all border checkpoints in the UAE without the need to present their passports, a senior official said recently.

Instead, they can simply flash their e-Gate pass to a barcode reader to go through immigration checks.

"The e-gate will include all UAE entry and exit points including land borders," Brigadier Saeed Mattar Bin Bleilah, director of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) told Gulf News.

The official gave no definite timetable for the project's implementation across the seven emirates of the UAE federation, but simply said it would be "soon".

The UAE shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Dubai International Airport has piloted the smart card system, allowing pre-registered travellers to electronically check themselves in and bypassing the need for physically stamping their passport.

Following Dubai's example, the smart e-card system will also be introduced at the international airports in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah and RAK.

Immigration authorities in other Gulf countries, such as Jordan and even the UK are considering the use of the same e-Gate system, Bin Bleilah said. Other international airports have set their sights on Dubai's system, but the official declined to name the countries.

"Holding the e-Card would make travelling through these international airports very easy."

Since October 2003, more than 130 iris scanners installed at the UAE's border crossings have foiled attempts by more than 50,000 people who sought to enter the country illegally.

The system, also employed in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has caught hundreds of other banned persons who attempted to return to the country after changing their names or identification documents.

Dubai International Airport has implemented the e-Gate project on an experimental basis for three years and demonstrated an "excellent" track record, said the official.

A person can enrol just once in the e-card database as it employs a fingerprint identification system. The Dh155 smart card is valid for two years and can be collected on the day of registration.

"Our experience shows a high accuracy rate from a security point of view and it ensures a smooth flow of passengers travelling via our airports," the official said at a recent Ramadan majlis.

Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Interior Minister, earlier announced the country would use the right technology as part of the long-term strategy to secure the country. A complete move to e-government, however, would need training and years of testing for reliability.

Bin Bleilah said: "The Interior Minister, Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed, is really interested in making the most out of our e-Gate experience and wants it to be adopted across the country to facilitate travel and security."

How to get a smart card

  • Dubai International Airport introduced the Dh155 e-Card in August 2002, making it only the third airport in the world, and the first in the Middle East to use the hi-tech system.
  • The smart card system accelerates the movement of traffic through electronic screening of passengers' data.
  • Registration offices are available in different parts of the country. Passengers must complete formalities required for acquiring a smart card by providing their original passport valid for more than six months before the travel date and a passport-size photograph.
  • The offices can be found at Dubai International Airport, the head office of Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) in Bur Dubai, DNRD's Jebel Ali office and the Dnata Building on Shaikh Zayed Road.
  • To register for a smart card, passengers should be above 18-years-old.