Dubai Launches Click and Travel: Mobile Passport Checks at the Airport Allows You to Skip Queues

Last updated: Sep 9, 2026

Dubai has started clearing passengers through passport control without a counter. GDRFA Dubai launched Click and Travel on 7 September 2026: a passport officer walks up to you inside the terminal and completes your entry or departure formalities on a handheld device in roughly 12 to 15 seconds.

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What has changed

The officer comes to you. Passport control staff carry mobile devices through the terminal halls and can complete entry and departure procedures where a passenger is standing, instead of that passenger queueing at a fixed counter.
12 to 15 seconds. That is GDRFA Dubai’s own figure for one transaction on the handheld device.
A full biometric check. The device combines fingerprint biometrics, facial recognition and electronic passport reading with automated pre-screening and live access to passenger records over a secure network.
Live from 7 September 2026. The announcement came at a press conference at Dubai International Airport attended by Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA Dubai.
Two pilots first. The service was trialled at Terminal 3 of Dubai International in October 2025, then widened in May 2026 across Dubai’s airport terminals and all passenger categories. GDRFA Dubai says 31,373 travellers were processed this way between the May pilot and the end of August 2026.
Different coverage on arrival. On departure the service covers UAE citizens, residents and visitors. On arrival, the first phase covers UAE citizens and residents, with other categories including tourists planned later.

What this means for you at the airport

In practical terms, nothing is being taken away. The counters, the smart gates and the biometric corridors all keep running, and Click and Travel is a mobile layer on top of them for the moments when a queue builds faster than the counters can absorb it. What changes is that a long line is no longer the only signal of how long your passport check will take.

You cannot request it. There is no registration, no app and no fee. Officers decide when and where to deploy, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.
Families get priority. GDRFA Dubai has said the mobile teams are directed first at long queues carrying families, children and people of determination.
Keep your passport in hand. The officer reads the electronic chip and checks your fingerprints or face on the spot, so a passport buried in hand luggage is the one thing that slows this down.
Your boarding pass is unchanged. Airline check-in, security and the boarding gate work as before. Click and Travel replaces the passport queue, not the rest of the airport.
Do not shave your buffer. Since you cannot request the service, plan your arrival at the airport exactly as you did before and treat a mobile clearance as time you got back.
Not India’s move. Where India removed a step by ending boarding pass stamping, Dubai has kept the step and moved it off the counter.

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Questions

Can I book or request Click and Travel?

No. There is nothing to sign up for and no fee. Passport control officers decide when and where to deploy the mobile devices, and they come to you. GDRFA Dubai has said the priority is queues where families, children and people of determination are waiting, and periods of unusually heavy passenger flow.

Does Click and Travel replace the smart gates and passport counters?

No. It sits alongside them. The counters, the e-gates and the biometric corridors at Dubai’s terminals all keep working exactly as before, and Click and Travel is an extra way to clear the same check when an officer reaches you first.

Who can use it?

On departure, GDRFA Dubai has said the service covers UAE citizens, residents and visitors. On arrival, the first phase covers UAE citizens and residents, with other categories including tourists planned for later phases.

How long does the check take?

GDRFA Dubai puts each transaction at roughly 12 to 15 seconds. That figure covers the officer’s own check on the handheld device, not the walk to the baggage hall or the time you spend at check-in and security.

Which Dubai airports and terminals does it cover?

The first pilot ran at Terminal 3 of Dubai International in October 2025. A second phase in May 2026 widened it across Dubai’s airport terminals and all passenger categories, and the official launch on 7 September 2026 followed. GDRFA Dubai has not published a terminal by terminal roster of its own.

Do I still need my passport and boarding pass?

Yes. The officer reads your electronic passport and checks your fingerprints or face on the device, so your passport still has to be with you, and the airline still needs your boarding pass at check-in and at the gate.

Sources

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