According to the website for DXB Airport, smart gates are equipped with a whole new contactless process that allows registered travelers to pass by "simply looking at the green light, with no need to scan a document."
The top of the camera is where you'll find the green light. Any item that covers a passenger's face, such as a mask, glasses, or a hat, must be removed before boarding the aircraft.
The system utilizes a biometric approach. To accurately identify individuals, biometric systems are built to collect biological data that is singular to each person.
There are many different kinds of biometric methods, including facial recognition. These systems make use of methodologies that are analogous to those used in fingerprinting technology.
The colored component of a person's eye, known as the iris, can be scanned with special technology in Dubai's system. Because of this, participants in the program are required to gaze squarely into the lens of a camera. This is done so that biological data may be captured.
As questions have been raised regarding the reliability of facial recognition technology in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of countries around the world adopting eye scan systems.
Using a person's iris as a biometric identifier is more reliable than using facial recognition technology from a distance.
According to the GDRFA website, "if you are unable to pass through the Smart Gate, you can return to the immigration counter that is located behind it."
Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Al Marri, in charge of the GDRFA, said that the passport counters and smart gates at DXB are ready to handle many passengers. This is especially important to remember because more people are expected to travel during the Eid al-Adha holiday and the summer break.
GDRFA says that DXB has a total of 120 clever gates. Major General Talal Al-Shanqeeti, the Assistant Director General of the Airport Passport Affairs sector, said that the GDRAF is "constantly working to improve the service in the smart gates so that most travelers can use it and avoid delays."
"During the first half of the year, 36 percent of all passengers used the smart gates," he said. "We hope that by the end of the year, 50 percent of all passengers will have used the smart gates."
UAE citizens, Emiratis, nationals of the GCC, tourists with visas-on-arrival who have biometric passports, and guests of the Schengen Union are allowed to use the new smart gates. If you have recently traveled through DXB, there is a good chance that you have already been registered.
Passport control lanes will be open for those with a strong will; however, families with children younger than 15 years old will have to go through the process manually.
According to the GDRFA, pre-registered citizens who have spent at least six months outside of the UAE and those who have recently had their passports or nationalities renewed are not permitted to utilize the smart gates.