Dubai Airport Immigration

December 3, 2015

Immigration is a place at an airport where government officials check the legal documents of people entering that country. This process involves the scrutiny of your passport, visa, and other related supporting documents like your hotel and itinerary.

The immigration officer typically checks your documents before you pass the security check at the arrival and departure sections. This means that you will be checked twice on your one-way flight - one, at your departing city and two, at your arrival destination.

The immigration officer is entitled to ask you any questions and documents as deemed necessary. At the Dubai Immigration Centre, your biometrics will be scanned and recorded. Indians have to do a mandatory retina scan.

Indians don’t have a visa-on-arrival facility. They need to get an eVisa before leaving for Dubai. Click here to know more about Dubai visas. The procedure to get a UAE visa is fairly simple. Dubai tourist visa is applied online and you get it issued within 4-5 working days.

Fast-track immigration

The Dubai International Airport has recently installed e-Gates. To avail of this facility, all you need is a passport with a barcode. You need to register yourself at the airport for this.

What are these Smart Gates and where are they located?

Currently operational at Terminal 3, the Smart Gates is your quickest way out of the airport. All you have to do is scan your passport with the photo and barcode page, step into the gate, complete your retina scan and you are good to go. All this happens in a nick of time. First-time users will have to register with an immigration officer, post their retina scan.

Are e-Gate cards different from Smart Gates? How do they work?

Yes, they are different. These cards are issued at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 and post-registration at the immigration counter, you can simply go through them by scanning your e-Gate card and fingerprint.

Security and customs

The security and customs is the most crucial process that you will have to go through at the Dubai International Airport. The regular airline rules and regulations of flagged items apply, but there are some additional pointers that you need to keep in mind.

No drugs or narcotics are allowed in UAE. Smuggling of these items will lead to imprisonment.
You may be asked to take off your belt, shoes, and socks and asked to be put in the security tray if the metal detector beeps.
In case you are on medication, you’ll need to carry a prescription from a registered practitioner and you’ll only be able to carry medicines for a period of three months.

Flagged items:

All narcotic drugs
Gambling tools, machines
Trammel (fishing net with three layers)
Ivory and rhinoceros horn
Forged or duplicate currency
Weapons, ammunition, and military equipment
Any printed material that contradicts Islamic teachings or decency
Trees, plants, and soil
Fireworks and explosives
Cooked and homemade foods
Pets and skins of endangered animals subject to CITES convention
Radios, self-defense equipment, sharp-edged knives, and swords

Dubai Airports (24*7 Call Centre)

Phone: +971 4 224 5555

Immigration

Phone: +971 4 313 9999

Phone: 8005111

Email: amer@dnrd.ae

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