The world's first passport-replacing identification system

For visitors and residents arriving in Dubai, a new facial recognition software, soon to be introduced at Dubai International Airport, will allow them to go straight to baggage claim after disembarking from the plane without having to stop at passport control.

British startup ObjectTech announced it is partnering with Dubai authorities to install biometric tunnels that will scan people’s faces as they arrive at the city’s international airport. Airport authorities will then match the 3D images with passengers’ digital passports using facial recognition software.

ObjectTech said the digital passport is designed specifically for facial recognition systems, containing information taken from an electronic chip attached to a regular passport as well as some other personal data such as fingerprints, iris scan results and facial scan parameters of the owner.

Under an agreement signed in April this year, the British tech company will work with Dubai's General Directorate of Immigration and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) to establish the world's first "gateless border" system, combining the power of biometric authentication with the immutability of blockchain technology.

If the project is completed as scheduled in 2020, passengers arriving at Dubai Airport will be able to go straight to baggage claim through the biometric authentication tunnel, bypassing passport control at customs. The system will also allow them to check into the city entirely with their pre-approved digital passport.

Fast-tracking airport transit without the hassle of security checks is not a new idea, but Dubai’s project may be the first to make it a reality.

Earlier this month, Dubai began rolling out a new technology solution that will allow passengers leaving Dubai International Airport to use their smartphones to complete security procedures at smart gates, instead of using their paper passports as usual. The local government announced that the new service, called Smart UAE Wallet, is expected to reduce the time it takes passengers to complete mandatory procedures by 9-12 seconds per person.

According to VNN