Dubai: Soon, apply for visas from your phone using facial recognition

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai, will provide all of its services through facial biometric recognition, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Once this project is fully implemented, Dubai residents will be able to apply for visas, and entry permits, even from home, using smartphones to verify themselves to obtain GDRFA service.

While speaking on the sidelines of Gitex Global 2022, Fatima Salem Al Mazroui, director of the project management office at GDRFA, told Khaleej Times that the authority is working on the project at a fast pace to launch as soon as possible.

“We aim to have all of GDRFA services and transactions processed through facial biometrics. All GDRFA services such as applying for residency, visa or any other services will be accessible and verified with facial biometrics. Dubai residents will not be required to use a passport or any other document to verify themselves,” she said.

A facial biometric system has already been implemented at the airport when people use the smart gate if they’re registered. “This facial recognition project that offers all the services of GDRFA will take a while to be implemented because each type of service has a different procedure,” she said, adding that it is difficult to give a timeframe for the launch of these services.

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) currently offers visa services, entry permits, residency services and others. As foreign workers flock to Dubai, the emirate’s population surpassed 3.5 million mark for the first time earlier this year

“We are working on a fast pace to launch it as soon as possible but it is difficult to give a timeline.”