2026-09-07
On 7 September 2026 the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) launched Click and Travel, described as the world’s first mobile passport control service. Instead of queuing at a fixed counter, a passenger is cleared by a passport officer who walks up with a handheld device connected to the GDRFA systems and biometric verification, and the entry or exit procedure takes about 12 to 15 seconds. The service was piloted between May and 31 August 2026, when 31,373 transactions were completed, after a first trial at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport that began in October 2025. On departure it is available to UAE citizens, residents and visitors; on arrival the first phase covers UAE citizens and residents, with tourist visa holders and other categories to follow. Click and Travel complements the smart gates and the Red Carpet biometric corridor rather than replacing them: officers deploy it when queues build, with priority for families, children and people of determination.
What GDRFA Dubai launched on 7 September 2026
The launch was announced at a press conference at Dubai International Airport on Monday 7 September 2026, attended by Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA Dubai, and Major General Talal Ahmed Al Shanqiti, Assistant Director General for Airports Affairs, according to the GDRFA statement carried by news agencies; Gulf News reported the service the same day. Click and Travel allows passport control officers to reach passengers at their location inside the terminal and complete entry or departure formalities there, without relying on fixed service counters. GDRFA describes it as a tool for peak travel periods, emergencies and situations that require a rapid operational response: it is not switched on permanently at every gate but activated when passenger traffic or operational pressure requires it.
“With Click and Travel, instead of passengers having to look for the service, the service comes to them, enabling passport control officers to complete their procedures at their location quickly, securely and flexibly,” Al Marri said. In his words, the completion of more than 31,000 transactions during the pilot demonstrated the service’s readiness to operate in the airport environment, and the results will support its further development and expansion.
Al Shanqiti explained when travellers will actually see the officers with handheld devices: “We can use the device when there are long queues, and priority will be for families, children and people of determination.” He summarised the change in one sentence: “Usually, passengers go to the passport counters. With this new service, we are bringing the counter services to the passenger.” Colonel Expert Khalid Bin Mediya Al Falasi, Assistant Director General for Digital Services, added that the value of the service lies not in the device itself but in the integrated digital ecosystem behind it, which lets officers securely access and verify passenger data and complete procedures wherever the passenger is.
How Click and Travel works
The mechanics are simple from the passenger’s side and heavy on the back end. According to Gulf News and the GDRFA statement, the service combines the following elements:
- A mobile device connected to GDRFA Dubai’s systems and databases over a secure communications network, so the officer sees the same records as at a fixed counter.
- Electronic passport reading: the chip of a biometric passport is read on the spot.
- Biometric verification: fingerprint and facial recognition confirm that the traveller is the holder of the document.
- Automated pre-screening: the checks that normally run at the counter run on the device, and the officer completes the entry or exit record electronically.
- 12 to 15 seconds per passenger from the moment the officer starts the procedure to its completion.
Nothing has to be installed or registered in advance: the traveller presents the passport to the officer as at a counter, and the biometric check replaces the manual comparison of the photo with the face. Passengers who used the service on launch day, quoted by Gulf News, included Sunil Pereira, who was flying to Mumbai, and William, an Emirates passenger to London Heathrow, who described the biometric check as “seamless from start to finish”. GDRFA adds that the system is built to carry further services in the future, so the same handheld devices could later handle other steps of the passenger journey, subject to approved operational and security requirements.
Who can use Click and Travel: departures and arrivals
| Passenger category | Departure from Dubai | Arrival in Dubai |
|---|---|---|
| UAE citizens | Yes | Yes, first phase |
| UAE residents (valid residence visa) | Yes | Yes, first phase |
| Visitors, including tourist visa holders | Yes | Planned in later phases, “in line with approved plans and operational requirements” |
Source: Gulf News, 7 September 2026, and the GDRFA Dubai statement, which also lists GCC nationals among the eligible users. The important asymmetry for business travellers is on arrival: a partner or client visiting on a tourist or visit visa will still go through the smart gates, if eligible, or a manned counter, until the arrivals phase is extended. Employees and their families who hold UAE residence visas are covered in both directions from day one.
The pilot: from Terminal 3 in October 2025 to 31,373 transactions
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| October 2025 | First trial at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, the Emirates terminal (GDRFA statement) |
| May 2026 | Second phase: the pilot is extended across terminals and passenger categories |
| May to 31 August 2026 | 31,373 entry and departure transactions completed with the mobile devices |
| 7 September 2026 | Official launch at a press conference at DXB; service available at Dubai airports |
| Next steps | Gradual extension of arrivals to tourist visa holders and other categories; use of the devices for other passenger-journey services |
For scale, 31,373 transactions over four months is a small share of DXB’s traffic: the airport handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026 and 95.2 million in 2025. The pilot figure describes a targeted tool used at chosen moments, which is exactly how GDRFA positions it, rather than a new default channel for every traveller.
Where it fits in Dubai’s border system
Click and Travel is the third layer of a border process that has been moving away from counters for years. The first layer is the smart gates: in the first half of 2026, 9,464,057 travellers used GDRFA Dubai’s integrated digital travel services, 9,024,736 of them through the smart gates and 439,321 through the Travel Without Borders corridor known as Red Carpet, with an average clearance time of 3.4 seconds per passenger. Since July 2026 travellers can also check in advance whether their passport will be accepted at the DXB smart gates by scanning it with a phone. The second layer is on the customs side, where Dubai Customs has cut airport clearance from 45 minutes to under 5. The mobile officers now cover the gap between the two: passengers who need a human check, or who are stuck in a counter queue at peak time, can be processed where they stand.
The context is the airport’s recovery and growth plan. DXB was named the most connected airport in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East in the ACI 2026 index published on the same day, and Dubai Airports expects to reach 100 million passengers a year within 18 months. Every second saved at passport control is capacity at that scale, and GDRFA frames Click and Travel as part of its wider smart ports ecosystem and of Dubai’s competitiveness as a travel hub.
What Click and Travel means for business travellers and employers in the UAE
- Residents are covered both ways. Holders of a valid UAE residence visa can be cleared by a mobile officer on departure and on arrival from the first phase. For companies this is one more reason to move regular travellers, and their families, onto residence visas rather than repeated visit visas.
- Visitors: departure only for now. Business guests on tourist or visit visas can use the service when leaving Dubai; on arrival they use the smart gates, if eligible, or the counters until the extension is announced. Do not plan a tight onward connection for a visiting client on the assumption of a 12-second arrival.
- No enrolment. A biometric passport is the only requirement. Staff do not need to register, install an app or carry anything beyond the documents they already travel with.
- Families and people of determination first. Al Shanqiti named them as the priority groups when the devices are deployed, which matters for employees relocating with children.
- It is an operational tool, not a guaranteed lane. The service is activated during peaks, emergencies and heavy traffic. Corporate travel policies should keep the usual buffer for immigration and treat Click and Travel as an upside, not a planning baseline.
- Combine with the pre-check. A negative result from the smart gates eligibility check, for example after a visa change or a passport renewal, is a signal that the immigration record needs attention; the mobile officer can still process such a passenger, but the underlying record should be fixed with the sponsor or the licensing authority.
How Atlant Capital can help
Atlant Capital registers companies in Dubai and across the UAE and takes founders, directors and employees through the residence process that determines which border channels they can use. We select the jurisdiction and licence for the actual business model, handle company formation and corporate bank account opening, and obtain work visas and residency for staff and their families, including Emirates ID and medical formalities, so that the whole team travels as residents. Accounting, audit, VAT and corporate tax filings are handled by licensed accounting firms from our partner network.
Conclusion
Click and Travel turns the passport counter into a handheld device: an officer with biometric verification and live access to GDRFA Dubai’s databases clears a passenger in 12 to 15 seconds wherever that passenger stands. The pilot from May to August 2026 produced 31,373 transactions, the service is live for all departing passengers and for citizens and residents on arrival, and the extension to tourist visa holders is planned. For businesses in the UAE the practical points are the resident-first design, the absence of any enrolment and the fact that the service is deployed at peak times rather than promised at every gate.
FAQ
What is Click and Travel at Dubai airport?
Click and Travel is a mobile passport control service launched by GDRFA Dubai on 7 September 2026. Passport control officers carry handheld devices connected to the GDRFA systems, read the passenger’s electronic passport, verify identity by fingerprint and facial recognition and complete the entry or exit procedure in about 12 to 15 seconds, at the passenger’s location inside the terminal instead of at a fixed counter. GDRFA describes it as the world’s first service of its kind.
Who can use Click and Travel on arrival in Dubai?
In the first phase, only UAE citizens and UAE residents are processed by the mobile officers on arrival. Visitors, including tourist visa holders, are expected to be added gradually in line with approved plans and operational requirements. On departure the service is available to UAE citizens, residents and visitors from the launch date.
How long does passport control take with Click and Travel?
About 12 to 15 seconds per passenger, according to GDRFA Dubai. For comparison, the smart gates at Dubai International Airport cleared passengers in an average of 3.4 seconds in the first half of 2026, when 9,024,736 travellers used them; the mobile service is meant for passengers and situations where a human officer is needed or a counter queue has formed.
Does Click and Travel replace the smart gates at DXB?
No. GDRFA Dubai says the service complements the smart gates and the Red Carpet biometric corridor. It is activated during peak periods, emergencies and heavy traffic, with priority for families, children and people of determination, and officers move to passengers where queues form. Between May and 31 August 2026 the pilot handled 31,373 transactions.
