We’re increasingly seeing airports and immigration officials use technology to simplify the travel process. This can of course greatly simplify everything from boarding to passport control (though I know some people take issue with the privacy implications).
Along those lines, Dubai International Airport (DXB) is rolling out a system that might just set the global standard for making passport control seamless.
In this post:
Clear passport control in Dubai without stopping
The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) has recently rolled out new technology to simplify passport control, and the plan is now to introduce this on a more widespread basis. Dubai has passport control on both arrival and departure, and while this has initially been rolled out for departures, it’s also expected to be implemented for arrivals.
This is called the “Red Carpet” smart corridor, and it’s initially available at Terminal 3, though it should be rolled out to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 by mid-2026. The idea is that travelers can clear passport control (either on arrival or departure) without stopping, and without presenting any travel documents.
The smart corridor can process up to 10 passengers at a time, and processing times are a matter of seconds. As you’d expect, the system uses artificial intelligence to recognize passenger data, and verifies identities on the spot, comparing them to pre-registered passenger profiles.
The system also flags suspicious cases for manual review, in which case travelers may be stopped. The system doubles processing capacity, while maintaining strict security standards (at least according to authorities).
This seems like the future of passport control!
There’s simply no denying that this is a very cool technological innovation. Here in the United States we don’t have departure passport control, but I guess it’s almost the equivalent of Global Entry in the United States. You just have your picture taken, and you’re sent on your way.
I am curious about some of the logistical realities of this:
- It seems like in theory you’d be able to enter the UAE if you accidentally left your passport behind (like on the plane), since it’s not actually checked on arrival, when using these lanes?
- Presumably if you were to be stopped, it would be by the person sitting behind the desk in the above pictures, so is the data consistently processed that quickly, or are you asked to wait for a moment, while that processes?
- I wonder if this is only available for select nationalities, or does it even work for those from countries where the UAE requires a visa?
Personally I welcome these kinds of changes. I know some people express privacy concerns here, but at this point, we have no privacy. You already have biometric data in your passport, and it’s standard to be photographed or fingerprinted when entering many countries, so it’s not like the alternative offers any level of privacy.
Admittedly this wouldn’t work for all countries, including those that like to question travelers on arrival (to verify their claims about how long they plan to stay, in terms of accommodation, how much money they have access to, etc.).
Bottom line
Dubai Airport is rolling out a new “Red Carpet” passport control concept. This is initially available for Terminal 3 arrivals, but will soon be expanded to departures, and then to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. With this, you can basically just clear passport control without stopping, as cameras verify your details, and then you can continue on your way.
What do you make of Dubai’s new AI-powered passport control?
Not sure ""AI" is the best description for this. It's just image recognition software.
I used this back in June as a Dubai resident (not citizen) with a residency visa when flying emirates first for the first time out of Dubai. They already have ALL our biometrics as residents so this is a natural evolution. I think at least for now it will be for residents/locals only. In the same way that at the egates I don’t need to put my passport down but non residents do. For egates,...
I used this back in June as a Dubai resident (not citizen) with a residency visa when flying emirates first for the first time out of Dubai. They already have ALL our biometrics as residents so this is a natural evolution. I think at least for now it will be for residents/locals only. In the same way that at the egates I don’t need to put my passport down but non residents do. For egates, I just stare at the light and my name appears on a screen and I go through. It’s very impressive.
I was actually going to ask to use the smart tunnel (an older version of this) to try it out instead of the egates but my boarding pass had smart corridor or something like that printed on it. I was directly specifically to this lane.
The usual egates take around 10-15 seconds to process and this was essentially instant as you walk along the carpet for 5 seconds or so. I also suspect it is already matching you to the system using the first camera even before you walk through the system…the other cameras are more there for redundancy than anything.
To answer your question after walking past something like 4 cameras at walking pace there was a Lady behind the counter….I did a thumbs up to ask if all was good and she waved me through.
Hopefully Europe can get this soon enough. I would be very happy with just the egates without a passport to be honest.
The US and UK have ok to board request from the airlines before issuing Boarding pass. So if you are on the no fly list the airline will not issue boarding pass.
Going through Global Entry with the kids is always a treat - "How do they know who I am?" "Well, you see, the government has your picture..."
What a different world our kids are natively growing up in.
Thank goodness it still takes 30 minutes to get your bags at JFK! Some things never change.
The "we have no privacy anyway" argument oversimplifies things by treating all data collection as equivalent. While it's true that passports contain biometric data and border crossings involve some privacy trade-offs, there are still meaningful differences between showing documents at a checkpoint versus AI systems that can track you throughout an airport. Just because we've accepted certain security measures doesn't mean we should stop evaluating new technologies based on their specific privacy implications, data retention...
The "we have no privacy anyway" argument oversimplifies things by treating all data collection as equivalent. While it's true that passports contain biometric data and border crossings involve some privacy trade-offs, there are still meaningful differences between showing documents at a checkpoint versus AI systems that can track you throughout an airport. Just because we've accepted certain security measures doesn't mean we should stop evaluating new technologies based on their specific privacy implications, data retention policies, and potential for expansion beyond their stated purpose
"Here in the United States we don’t have departure passport control". You're not alone: the UK also has no outward checks.
Departure passport control is not formalized, but does exist. I have boarded flights where CBP Officers stood in the jetway, with sniffer dogs, checking passports and even asking me (a US Citizen) what was the purpose of my trip (although I said just one word, 'personal' and they accepted it - I acknowledge my white privilege, however.)
It isn't entirely true that the USA doesn't have departure passport control. When you take a flight departing the USA, the airline passes along the info to DHS to keep track.
If you drive from the USA into Canada, Canadian customs passes along the fact that you were admitted into Canada to DHS (being admitted into Canada means you have left the USA). I don't know if Mexico does the same, but I wouldn't...
It isn't entirely true that the USA doesn't have departure passport control. When you take a flight departing the USA, the airline passes along the info to DHS to keep track.
If you drive from the USA into Canada, Canadian customs passes along the fact that you were admitted into Canada to DHS (being admitted into Canada means you have left the USA). I don't know if Mexico does the same, but I wouldn't be surprised.
You can look up your trips here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/
“the UK also has no outward checks”.
We kind of do. It’s just outsourced to the airlines.
Yeah it’s done at the gate instead of being a separate process.
To one of your questions, Ben:
So far, if you enter the UAE for the first time you have to show your passport to an immigration officer. When you come for a return visit you can use the e-gates where you scan your passport and that’s it - usually. However, those e-gates in DXB do not work flawlessly. Very often - almost like every other time - there is an error and you are...
To one of your questions, Ben:
So far, if you enter the UAE for the first time you have to show your passport to an immigration officer. When you come for a return visit you can use the e-gates where you scan your passport and that’s it - usually. However, those e-gates in DXB do not work flawlessly. Very often - almost like every other time - there is an error and you are being asked to see an officer anyway. So I just hope that these AI based solutions work better than the e-gates.
In any case I somehow believe that first time visitors still have to see an immigration officer anyway- but I don’t know for sure.
It's the same with the US. Since domestic and international departures are combined in the same terminals, there's no differentiation at TSA.
Therefore, it's on the airlines to allow passengers to check-in and verify their documents.
Highly needed. We can all agree that waiting in line and having to stop are the worst parts of travel (okay, maybe rudeness from fellow passengers is the worst part, but I travel at peak business hours on high-value routes, so I rarely encounter rudeness)