Dubai International Airport has launched a new digital service designed to help passengers confirm their eligibility for biometric Smart Gates before reaching passport control, as the airport prepares for one of its busiest summer travel periods.
Dubai Airports introduced the “Smart Gates Eligibility Pre-Check” in partnership with Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. The service allows arriving and departing passengers to check in advance whether they can use the automated gates, helping them avoid unnecessary queues at traditional immigration counters.
The launch comes as daily passenger numbers at DXB are expected to exceed 265,000 during the peak summer season. The airport handled a record 95.2 million international passengers in 2025, maintaining its position as the world’s busiest international airport.
Dubai Airports said the new tool was designed to make passenger movement through the airport easier and more efficient.
“Every improvement at DXB is designed around the objective of making the journey through the airport more seamless for our guests,” the airport said.
Passengers do not need to download an application to use the service. The pre-check tool can be accessed through Pocket Flights, the airport’s real-time flight information platform, or by scanning QR codes placed throughout the terminals and gates.
To use the service, travellers open the Pocket Flights portal on their smartphone, select the Smart Gates PreCheck option and scan the photo page of their passport using their phone’s camera.
The system then confirms within seconds whether the passenger is eligible to use the automated gates. Those approved can proceed directly to Smart Gates rather than joining the standard immigration queue.
At the gates, passengers follow the marked footprints, remove glasses or face coverings where required, look towards the green light and pass through the biometric system.
The Smart Gates use facial recognition and other biometric technology to verify travellers. More than 9 million passengers used the system to clear immigration at DXB during the first half of 2026.
Eligibility covers a broad range of travellers, including UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents, visa-on-arrival passengers, eligible Schengen travellers and people holding pre-issued visas.
Authorities expect the new pre-check system to reduce congestion at manual passport control counters during the summer rush by directing more eligible passengers towards automated processing.
The service forms part of Dubai’s wider push to expand smart travel technology. The emirate’s AI-powered “Travel Without Borders – Red Carpet” service has also reduced average immigration clearance times for eligible passengers from 12.5 seconds to 3.4 seconds.
With passenger volumes continuing to rise, Dubai Airports is increasingly relying on biometric technology and digital tools to manage the flow of travellers through its terminals.
