mission

Just wanted to let you guys know that you can use your Emirates ID card when clearing customs via e-gate. I flew back from the UK early Sun morning and it worked - just as well since the queues through the manual process where frigging huge.

Mogs

Do you not need to register it before 1st use ?

mission

nope - you just swipe it through the e-gate machine, it will then ask you for a finger print and viola you will exist customs.

iggle

I have a feeling that this doesn't work for Abu Dhabi. I am 99% sure i read that its only working at Dubai airport.

Mogs

Good to know.

We saw the registration queue last time we came through T3 and after 10 minutes of not moving, decided it was quicker just to go through a normal queue.

Millhouse

I set this up years ago... sadly all my fingers are recorded as thumbs, and my thumbs as fingers on the system. It's impossible to guess what finger I need to use and so it never lets me in. Try getting that one fixed.

I registered for a proper e-gate, and all my fingers are recorded as my left thumb. Regardless of what the machine asks for, it's the thumb that lets me in. Much easier.

Inselaffen

tried it at the end of July after they had made their announcement that it was working, and it wasn't. Luckily I had E-Gate as a back up.

Guess this means that there are now going to be queues at the egate machines as anyone with an Emirates ID can now use them. A backward step

mission

To be fair, the process is very easy and extremely quick and so even if there is a queue, it should definitely move much faster than the manual one.

mission

no idea about AUH, but definitely up and running (and working) in DXB

Irishbeekeeper

Never registered for an e-card
Used my ID Card as going in as well as out two days later and it was a breeze. Even the business class line was long and I was chuffed that I just breezed right through. May I reccomend we keep this info on the down low otherwise as said above, it would start creating long ques as well

NorthernLad

I use Smart Gate when coming back into Dubai (I tried a few times to renew egate but was told 'the system is down').

It works fine, you just need to register the first time (as long as you have the newer passport) and the queues are generally the shortest in the airport.

scrubbedexpat141

I landed the other day early, big taxi queue but e-gate took me 45 seconds? No queue, just hold the card on, go in, finger print, cheers.

It's only bad when there's nobody there to help idiots.

Also, in T3 on the far, far right end of passport there's more machines and a person behind them. I once found that quick when e-gate was clogged with confused folk.

Cypselos

Yeah it never gets my prints right either. Smartgate with the passport is the way to go.

scrubbedexpat141

Is that the one on the far right of passports at T3?

TheShed

If you have Skywards silver or above you can add eGate to the card for free. Like others I registered my EID but it never worked.

FYI every egate at T3 accepts eGate or the Passport scan thingy.

I mainly use eGate as you can use it on the way out which is not currently the case for the passport scanning system.