The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has activated e-gate services to ease the entry and exit process for resident expatriates through the Hamad International Airport.
According to MoI, the new service can be used by resident expatriates with ID cards and their children above 18 years without the need for prior registration.
Colonel Mohamed Rashid al-Mazroui, the director of the Airport Passports Department, explained that the use of the ID card does not need any prior registration or pay any fees, and (a resident expatriate) only need to have a valid ID card, while pointing out that there are 19 e-gates in the departure lounge and 16 e-gates in the arrival lounge.
Al-Mazroui further stated that the activation of this service comes as part of the smart passenger project, inaugurated by His Excellency the Prime Minister and Interior Minister at the beginning of this year.
He observed that activation of the electronic gates for residents will contribute to quick completion of their travel procedures without standing in long queues and waiting for passport control officer to verify their personal data and put the departure or arrival stamp on their passports.
The primary objective of the smart passenger project is to facilitate passengers to complete the entry or exit process through self-service devices, depending on smart technology, without the need to approach the counter staff, as reported by Gulf Times.
Moreover, Maj Khalid Mohamed Mulla, head of the Airport Passports Section, explained the use of electronic gates by giving a brief on its functioning. He sated that a passenger has to place his/her ID card or passport on the e-reader at the e-gate, which will read the vital data stored on the card or the passport and verify them.
The device will direct the passenger in Arabic or English to move ahead as the first glass barrier will be opened making access for the passenger to the middle of the e-gate.
Next, the device will match the data obtained from the travel document by capturing his/her eye print and fingerprint and if the data matches the device will open the final exit gate which enables the traveller to move to the boarding gate or baggage collection area. This process does not take more than two minutes, reports the Gulf Times
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