Dubai immigration digitalises passenger processing, shortening disembarkation times

The introduction of the Portable Marina by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai has cut passenger processing times at Dubai Cruise Terminal and Dubai Harbour to under 20 minutes.

The GDRFA’s Portable Marina has expedited passenger disembarkation processes by digitalising much of the information, allowing for the efficient checking of 5,000 passengers in minutes. Previously, each passengers information had to be individually checked manually, creating queues for guests trying to leave the ship and explore the city.

With the Portable Marina, passenger information is sent to the GDRFA before the vessel reaches port, allowing officers to scan passengers’ information digitally, streamlining the immigration process.

Passengers are then identified using facial recognition technology when disembarking the ship, significantly reducing the time spent in queues.

“With the Portable Marina, we can identify all passengers within just 20 minutes,” said Faisal Ahli from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). “This system allows us to pre-process the passenger data, ensuring that when the ship docks, officers can quickly verify travellers’ identities.”

“Passengers no longer face long queues, making their travel experience smoother and more enjoyable,” he added.

The Portable Marina works in tandem with the introduction of biometric identification at sea and land ports, which was introduced in Dubai earlier this year, eliminating delays for passengers entering and exiting ports.

The introduction of the Portable Marina comes ahead of the start of the 2024/25 cruise season, which runs from November to March annually in the Arabian Gulf and features 87 cruise itineraries departing from Dubai in the UAE.

Five cruise ships will homeport in the city during the season, sailing roundtrip itineraries to Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Khasab, Bahrain and Qatar, including Resorts World One and Celestyal Journey, which make their debut this year.

Four of the six cruise lines homeporting in Dubai for the coming 2024/25 cruise season will ‘interport’ between several destinations in the Arabian Gulf, including Abu Dhabi. This means that passengers can choose to board and disembark in Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai, although the itineraries remain largely the same.

The introduction of the Portable Marina also aligns with Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s ongoing efforts to enhance convenience for cruise passengers in the UAE, at both the cruise terminals in Dubai, and at the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal, passengers can check-in to their onwards flights, providing more time to explore the city prior to departure after a cruise.