E-gate for people with special needs introduced

Dubai: Special needs residents and tourists will be able to breeze through all border checkpoints in the UAE without the need to present their passports, via a newly designed e-gate that the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) launched during Gitex.

Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razzuqi, assistant director-general of electronic services at GDRFA, told Gulf News: "People with special needs can simply flash their e-gate pass to a barcode reader to go through immigration checks."

"The new e-gate has a multi-option design to suit special needs travellers as they can cross the e-gate by using their fingerprint, iris scan or facial print.

"The e-gate has been installed in Dubai Terminal One and will include all UAE entry and exit points very soon," he said.

GDRFA has piloted the smart card system, allowing pre-registered travellers to electronically check in and bypass the need to physically stamp their passports.

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

Dubai International Airport's Terminal One has installed the new e-gate for special needs people on an experimental basis and has achieved an "excellent" track record, said the official.

Getting a smart card

• Dubai International Airport introduced the Dh200 e-card in 2002.
• 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 to obtain 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 the GDRFA.
• To register for a smart card, passengers should be at least 18 years old.