‘Travel Without Borders’: Dubai airports to remove all physical passport control and smart gates
Facial recognition cameras will scan travellers on the move as they walk past immigration
Dubai: Travellers will soon be able to walk through all Dubai airports without stopping to show any documents, a senior official told Gulf News.
Lieutenant Colonel Khaled bin Madia Al Falasi, Deputy Assistant Director for Smart Services at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai), said the project, ‘Travel Without Borders’, will use artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition cameras to scan the travellers’ face - while they are on the move - to confirm their biometric data, identity them and officially register their arrival or departure at the passport control area.
There will be no counters, stations, gates or immigration officers at passport control - travellers will simply walk through without stopping or showing any documents, he explained.
The project will be activated “soon” at all terminals of Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC), Lt Col Al Falasi said.
The service will start with business and first class passengers, and then it will be extended to all travellers in all departure and arrival halls, he added.
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‘We have moved on’
He pointed out that currently there are smarts gates at the airport but travellers still have to stop and get scanned to pass through the gate. In the near future, there will be no need to stop anywhere or pass through any gate, tunnel or station.
“We have moved on from the gate phase. Because our aim is ‘Travel Without Borders’, today [Tuesday] we are announcing that our services to be seamless.”
He explained further: “GDRFA always strives to make our services fast. We have all the travellers’ data; we have all the citizens’ and residents’ data. Today, we are taking all their data, collecting their biometric prints as they pass through the airport, getting off the plane, getting their luggage, and getting into the car - so that he or she doesn’t feel like there’s any border control.
“The concept of gates and passport corridor will be gone. The project will be implemented in partnership with airlines and other parties. Its implementation will be very soon.”
Lt Col Al Falasi clarified that for travellers coming to Dubai airports for the first time, there will be a pre-registration process before arrival through an app. “We will do a match the first time upon entry, and then they can use the [Travel Without Borders] system.”