At a glance
What are the Smart Gates, and how do you use one?
They are automated passport-control gates that identify you by your face. At Dubai's airports a registered traveller steps in, stands on the footprints and looks at the green light; the gate opens when you are cleared. Take off anything covering your face first.
GDRFA Dubai, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, describes it simply: enter the Smart Gate, stand on the footstep poster, look at the green light and follow the instructions on the screen[4]. Dubai Airports adds that a registered traveller can pass without scanning a document, but should remove masks, glasses and hats and keep the passport and boarding pass ready in case they are asked for[1].
Sharjah Airport's gates work a little differently: you place your passport photo page on the reader, scan your boarding pass if you are departing, step into the gate and look at the camera[12].
Who can use the Smart Gates at DXB and DWC?
UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents and visa-on-arrival visitors with biometric passports, according to Dubai Airports. People of determination, travellers with large pushchairs and anyone under 1.2 metres cannot. On families with children, the airport's own pages give two different answers.
What each official source says about eligibility
| Source | Who can use the gates | Who cannot |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Airports, passport control page (DXB and DWC) | UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents, and visa-on-arrival guests with biometric passports[1][2] | People of determination, guests with large pushchairs, families with children, and guests under 1.2 metres[1][2] |
| Dubai Airports, summer 2026 travel advice | Families with children over the age of 12[3] | Not stated |
| GDRFA Dubai | Registered passengers 1.2 metres tall or more[4] | Not stated beyond the height rule |
Dubai Airports' standing page and its July 2026 advice disagree about families; GDRFA's own page sets only a height rule. Follow the signs and the officers at the airport on the day.
Being able to use a gate is not the same as being allowed to enter the country: the gate only speeds up the check. Whether your passport needs a visa for the UAE, or for where you are flying next, is a separate question; Dubai Airports sends visitors to GDRFA for it[1], and our visa desk checks it against the official sources.
Do you need to register first?
At Dubai's airports, no separate step: Dubai Airports says first-time users are registered at passport control when they arrive at DXB or DWC. GDRFA runs an online check of your registration, and the federal ICP offers an app, UAE Fast Track, for registering before you travel.
- On arrival in Dubai: first-time Smart Gates users are registered at the passport-control point when they arrive at DXB or DWC[1].
- Check your status: GDRFA's Smart Gate registration inquiry lets you check whether you can use the gates by entering your file number, Emirates ID or passport details[4]. Dubai Airports also mentions a Smart Gates PreCheck tool[1].
- Before you fly (UAE Fast Track): in January 2025 the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) urged travellers to use its UAE Fast Track app, which takes trip details, passport scans, a face photo and fingerprints so that entry procedures take seconds, Gulf News reported[10]. In October 2024 an ICP official told Khaleej Times that registered visitors could use the Smart Gates at Zayed International, with Dubai and Sharjah to follow[11].
What is the Red Carpet corridor at DXB?
A biometric passport-control lane at Terminal 3 that clears you without showing any document. GDRFA Dubai said in May 2026 that it had been introduced in the arrivals hall for UAE nationals in October 2025 and for residents in March 2026, and that its cameras in Terminal 3's First and Business Class lounges had been redesigned.
In May 2026 GDRFA Dubai described the Red Carpet as an AI-powered, biometric service that had removed all contact points and reduced the travel documents needed from two to zero, Gulf News reported. It said the corridor had been introduced in the Terminal 3 arrivals hall for UAE nationals in October 2025 and for residents in March 2026, and that service cameras in Terminal 3's First and Business Class lounges had been redesigned[5]. Dubai Airports' own passport-control page does not yet describe it[1], so treat the lane signs at the airport as the guide to who may use it on the day.
What is Emirates' biometric path?
A separate facial-recognition route through Terminal 3 for Emirates passengers who register. After a selfie in the Emirates app, matched to your passport, you can check in, clear immigration, enter the Concourse B lounge and board by face. App registration is for Skywards members; anyone can register at the check-in desks.
Emirates says registering takes a quick selfie in its app, matched with your passport; you can then check in, clear immigration, enter its Concourse B lounge and board by facial recognition. Registration in the app is open to Emirates Skywards members, and you can also register with a photo at the check-in desks at Dubai International[6]. Its self check-in kiosks can also find your booking by facial recognition[6].
How does it work at Abu Dhabi and Sharjah?
Abu Dhabi uses biometric checks through Zayed International; Etihad asks passengers to register for the e-gates at the airport, subject to visa requirements. Sharjah's gates read your passport and, when departing, your boarding pass. Neither airport's pages set out eligibility the way Dubai Airports does.
Etihad tells passengers to register for the e-border gates when they reach Zayed International, adding that this is subject to visa requirements[7]; the airport's own guide suggests the Smart Gates to UAE residents and eligible nationals[8]. In July 2024 the Abu Dhabi Media Office announced the Smart Travel project with the ICP, which recognises departing passengers biometrically without prior registration and was to extend to check-in, all boarding gates and new e-gates in the transit areas; it said it cut the time to serve a traveller from 25 seconds to seven[9].
At Sharjah, the airport's page gives the steps (passport on the reader, boarding pass scanned on departure, face to the camera) but not who is eligible[12].
What stops a Smart Gate from opening?
Usually something between you and the camera, or a traveller the gate is not meant for. Dubai Airports asks you to remove masks, glasses and hats and to have your passport and boarding pass ready. Children under 1.2 metres, and people with large pushchairs, go to the staffed desks.
- Take off masks, glasses and hats before you step in[1].
- Keep your passport and boarding pass in your hand in case they are needed[1].
- At Sharjah, have your boarding pass ready to scan if you are leaving[12].
- Travellers under 1.2 metres cannot use the gates; nor, by Dubai Airports' page, can people of determination or guests with large pushchairs, who have staffed lanes[4][1].
Questions travellers ask
Can children use the Smart Gates at Dubai airport?
Not if they are under 1.2 metres tall[4]. Dubai Airports' passport-control page says families with children cannot use the gates[1], but its summer 2026 advice said families with children over 12 can[3]; check the signs on the day.
Do I need to register before my first time at a Dubai Smart Gate?
Dubai Airports says first-time users are registered at passport control on arrival at DXB or DWC[1]. GDRFA's online inquiry shows whether you are registered[4].
Can visitors use the Smart Gates?
Dubai Airports lists visa-on-arrival guests with biometric passports among those who can[1]. Whether you can enter the UAE at all depends on your passport; our visa desk can check.
Who can use the Red Carpet corridor at DXB?
GDRFA Dubai said in May 2026 that it was open in the Terminal 3 arrivals hall to UAE nationals, from October 2025, and residents, from March 2026, with cameras in Terminal 3's First and Business Class lounges for departures[5].
Is Emirates' biometric path the same as the Smart Gates?
No. It is Emirates' own facial-recognition route through Terminal 3, for check-in, immigration, its Concourse B lounge and boarding; you register in the Emirates app or at a check-in desk[6].
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]Passport control & visas — Dubai Airports. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [2]Passport control & visas - DWC — Dubai Airports. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [3]DXB set for a busy start to summer as daily guest numbers top 200,000 (1 July 2026) — Dubai Airports Media Centre. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [4]Inquiry for Smart Gate Registration — General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [5]Dubai's Red Carpet turns airport travel into a 3.4-second trip (11 May 2026) — Gulf News. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [6]Contactless journey — Emirates. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [7]Plan your trip — Etihad Airways. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [8]Terminal Guide — Zayed International Airport. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [9]Abu Dhabi Airports and ICP partner to launch the world's first-of-its-kind Smart Travel project (21 July 2024) — Abu Dhabi Media Office. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [10]ICP urges travellers to use 'UAE Fast Track' for quicker entry into country (14 January 2025) — Gulf News. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [11]UAE: Tourists to soon skip queues at airports, use smart gates with new immigration app (14 October 2024) — Khaleej Times. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [12]Smart Gates — Sharjah Airport. Accessed 25 September 2026
Published 25 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
