E-gate for people with special needs introduced

Special needs residents and tourists will be able to breeze through all border checkpoints in the UAE without the need to present their passports, via a newly designed e-gate that the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) launched during Gitex.Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razzuqi, assistant director-general of electronic services at GDRFA, told Gulf News: "People with special needs can simply flash their e-gate pass to a barcode reader to go through immigration checks.""The new e-gate has a multi-option design to suit special needs travellers as they can cross the e-gate by using their fingerprint, iris scan or facial print."The e-gate has been installed in Dubai Terminal One and will include all UAE entry and exit points very soon," he said.GDRFA has piloted the smart card system, allowing pre-registered travellers to electronically check in and bypass the need to physically stamp their passports."Holding the e-card would make travelling through these international airports very easy."Dubai International Airport's Terminal One has installed the new e-gate for special needs people on an experimental basis and has achieved an "excellent" track record, said the official.