On the eve of the Dubai Airshow, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) confirmed it will unveil a suite of digital border-control services designed to cut passenger-processing times to under five seconds. The exhibit includes next-generation smart gates that identify travellers via iris and facial biometrics linked to airline departure control systems, eliminating manual document checks for enrolled passengers.
Officials say the technology has already been piloted on select Emirates flights and will roll out across Dubai World Central (DWC) and DXB Terminals 1 and 3 in 2026. Corporate travel managers are keen, arguing that automated immigration can shave 20–30 minutes off door-to-door journey times for premium passengers and cabin crew.
![GDRFA Dubai to showcase seamless-travel solutions at Airshow, including one-second passport control]()
GDRFA will also preview a real-time visa-status dashboard for free-zone HR departments, allowing companies to track employee entry-permit renewals and family-sponsorship requests in one interface. The platform supports API integration with corporate travel-booking tools, raising the prospect of instant ‘OK-to-Board’ validation at the time of ticketing.
The agency’s Airshow presence underscores how border-control digitalisation is becoming a competitive differentiator for global hub airports. Faster passenger throughput not only boosts traveller satisfaction but also enables airlines to maintain tight connection banks—critical for Dubai’s role as a super-connector.
Officials say the technology has already been piloted on select Emirates flights and will roll out across Dubai World Central (DWC) and DXB Terminals 1 and 3 in 2026. Corporate travel managers are keen, arguing that automated immigration can shave 20–30 minutes off door-to-door journey times for premium passengers and cabin crew.
GDRFA will also preview a real-time visa-status dashboard for free-zone HR departments, allowing companies to track employee entry-permit renewals and family-sponsorship requests in one interface. The platform supports API integration with corporate travel-booking tools, raising the prospect of instant ‘OK-to-Board’ validation at the time of ticketing.
The agency’s Airshow presence underscores how border-control digitalisation is becoming a competitive differentiator for global hub airports. Faster passenger throughput not only boosts traveller satisfaction but also enables airlines to maintain tight connection banks—critical for Dubai’s role as a super-connector.
