United Arab Emirates · eGates · biometric border control
Dubai airports smart gates and biometric passport control
In operation
GDRFA-Dubai runs smart gates and a face recognition passport control system at Dubai airports. Its Director-General told a May 2022 industry forum that more than 100 million travellers used the 122 smart gates between 2019 and March 2022, as reported by Gulf News 1. In February 2023 an assistant director-general told Gulf News that registered residents and visitors could clear passport control without showing a passport, that biometric data registered since 2019 is stored on the GDRFA system, and that more than 12 million passengers used smart gates in 2022 2. No contract, vendor or audit was found.
Key terms
- Buyer
- General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai)
- Vendor
- Not published
- Vendor based in
- Not confirmed
- Signed
- Not published
- Duration
- Not published
- Value
- Not published
- Funding
- Not published
- Procurement route
- Not published
- System ownership
- Not published
- Data terms
- Biometric information of travellers registered with GDRFA since 2019 is stored on the GDRFA system for future travel, as reported by Gulf News on 9 February 2023
Sources
- Gulf News: More than 100m passengers used 122 smart gates at Dubai Airports, top GDRFA official says (18 May 2022)
- Gulf News: Dubai International Airports passengers will no longer need a passport or boarding pass to travel (9 February 2023)
Fields marked "Not published" or "Not confirmed" could not be established from an official or reliable source. If you hold a document that fills a gap or corrects an entry, write to editor@bordercontracts.org. Last checked 19 October 2026.