The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai brought its GDRFA Dubai Click and Travel service to Arabian Travel Market 2026, held at Dubai World Trade Centre from 14 to 17 September, as part of a broader showcase of border technology and visa products aimed at the travel industry.
What Click and Travel does at the border
The Click and Travel system allows passport control officers to complete travellers’ entry and departure procedures using mobile handheld devices. GDRFA Dubai said the system is designed for deployment during peak periods and emergencies, giving officers operational flexibility without replacing the existing smart gate infrastructure.
The service uses biometric verification, facial recognition, electronic passport reading, and automated pre-screening of passenger data, connected securely to relevant immigration systems.
Alongside Click and Travel, GDRFA Dubai exhibited its Red Carpet service, which uses biometric verification to identify passengers and complete passport control without requiring travellers to present documents at every step. GDRFA Dubai’s fast-track passport control programme has deployed biometric systems across 122 smart gates at arrival and departure terminals in Dubai airports.
Five-year visa: fees and stay conditions explained
The stand also promoted the five-year multiple-entry tourist visa, which allows holders to visit the UAE repeatedly without a sponsor or host. The GDRFA Dubai five-year tourist visa carries a total fee of Dh3,713, comprising an application fee of Dh100, an issuance fee of Dh500, a financial security deposit of Dh3,000, and several smaller administrative charges. GDRFA Dubai notes the total may vary depending on individual circumstances.
Under the visa conditions, the holder may stay in the UAE for a continuous or intermittent period not exceeding 90 days in any one year, extendable for a similar period before a fine applies, with total stay capped at 180 days annually. Unused days from the 90-day allowance do not carry over. The visa is valid for entry within two months of issuance and can be extended for an additional two months.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) issues a parallel five-year multiple-entry tourist visa with the same 90-day stay limit. ICP sets an overstay fine of Dh50 per day after the grace period ends, with the year counted from the date of first entry rather than from the visa issuance date or the calendar year. Health insurance issued within the UAE, with a validity of at least 180 days, is required.
In the event of a violation under the GDRFA Dubai visa, fines are collected at the departure port and the Dh3,000 security deposit is forfeited.
The exhibition stand also covered a 60-day entry visa available to nationals of certain countries residing abroad, offered as a flexible option for eligible travellers subject to applicable terms.
ALSAADA Card and the passenger experience
GDRFA Dubai’s Events and Quality of Life Department used the event to promote the ALSAADA Card, a tourist benefits scheme launched in December 2020 that gives visitors arriving through Dubai’s ports of entry access to discounts across travel, dining, retail, health and beauty, vehicle services, and banking. Tourists can activate the card using their passport details via the ALSAADA app.
Major General Talal Ahmed Al Shanqaiti, Assistant Director-General for Airports at GDRFA Dubai, said the event gave the authority a direct channel to the travel industry. ‘Our participation in Arabian Travel Market provides an opportunity to introduce the travel and tourism community to the solutions developed by GDRFA Dubai to facilitate every stage of the visitor journey. In collaboration with our partners, we continue to develop faster and more flexible services and provide options tailored to travellers’ needs.’
GDRFA Dubai’s smart gate system recorded 26,374,304 smart gate transactions in 2025 out of a total of 61,530,701 passengers processed, according to the authority’s open data for that year.
The five-year tourist visa application is open through the GDRFA Dubai service portal, with eligibility conditions and required documents listed on the authority’s page.
