Dubai has launched Click and Travel, a mobile immigration service that cleared its first passenger in about 12 seconds.
Dubai has rolled out a new way to get through the airport, and the first traveler to try it was through passport control in about 12 seconds. The service, called Click and Travel, was launched by the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, known as GDRFA Dubai, which described it as the world’s first mobile service of its kind.
The idea behind it is simple. Instead of asking passengers to queue at a fixed counter, officers carry mobile devices and can process travelers wherever they are inside the terminal. The system handles both entry and departure, and it uses biometric verification and facial recognition to confirm a passenger’s identity on the spot.
For a city that has built much of its reputation on moving people quickly, the pitch is easy to grasp. As Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, director general of GDRFA Dubai, put it, with Click and Travel, instead of passengers having to look for the service, the service comes to them.
How Dubai’s Click and Travel Immigration Service Works
The service runs on mobile devices linked directly to GDRFA Dubai’s systems and databases. An officer approaches the traveler, verifies their identity using facial recognition and electronic passport scanning, and completes the clearance without the passenger ever stopping at a traditional booth. The whole process takes roughly 12 to 15 seconds.
The rollout follows a pilot phase that ran from May to the end of August 2026. During that period, the service completed 31,373 transactions, which GDRFA Dubai cited as evidence that the system was ready for wider use. The authority also said the service gives priority to families, children and people of determination during busy periods, letting officers reach those groups directly rather than making them wait in line.
GDRFA Dubai framed the launch as part of a broader effort to make travel through Dubai smoother, and it said it plans to extend Click and Travel to other points in the passenger journey over time, subject to security and operational requirements.
Who Can Use Click and Travel at Dubai Airport
For now, eligibility depends on whether a traveler is arriving or departing. On departure, the service is open to UAE citizens, residents and visitors, which covers the bulk of people leaving the country. On arrival, it is currently limited to UAE citizens and residents, with the authority planning to widen access to other categories, including tourist visa holders, at a later stage.
That phased approach means most residents can already use the service when flying out, while arriving visitors will be brought in as the system expands. GDRFA Dubai has signaled that broadening eligibility is part of the plan rather than a separate step, tied to the same push to speed up processing at the airport.
The service sits alongside other technology GDRFA Dubai has introduced to cut waiting times, including biometric systems that process large numbers of travelers each month. Click and Travel adds a mobile layer to that setup, moving the point of clearance away from the counter entirely.
For travelers passing through Dubai, the practical effect is a shorter stop at immigration, and in some cases no stop at a counter at all. The 12-second clearance recorded by the first passenger set an early marker for what the system can do, and GDRFA Dubai has positioned it as the start of a wider shift in how people move through the airport.
