The chief executive of Dubai Airports has predicted that travellers may no longer need to carry a passport within five years, arguing that the technology to verify identity without a physical document already exists.
Paul Griffiths made the forecast in a LinkedIn post on Monday, November 9, according to both Gulf News and Khaleej Times. He wrote that the main obstacle is no longer technical but practical: governments, airlines and airports need to connect their systems and agree on common standards for recognising a digital identity across borders.
What Griffiths said
Griffiths, who runs the operator of Dubai International (DXB), said travellers are still asked to show documents again and again during a single journey, even though biometric tools can confirm who they are. “The technology is ready,” he wrote, adding that how quickly it becomes everyday reality “is largely up to us”.
He closed the post with a line widely shared online: “Your passport has an expiry date. I believe the need to carry it has one too.”
Gulf News stressed that the five-year timeframe is a forecast that depends on international cooperation, not an announced deadline. Griffiths himself acknowledged that countries will move at different speeds, which he said should create “greater urgency”.
What Dubai already uses
Several systems that remove the need to hand over a passport are already running at Dubai’s airports, as reported by Gulf News:
- Terminal 3 biometrics: more than 200 biometric cameras let registered passengers use facial recognition at check-in, immigration, lounges and boarding, with biometric boarding at selected gates.
- GDRFA smart processing: since 2019, travellers registered with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs have been able to pass airport procedures using facial and iris recognition instead of showing a passport or ID.
- Red Carpet corridor: this biometric walk-through processed 745,188 passengers between January and August 2026.
- Click and Travel: launched in September 2026, this mobile service lets officers complete passport checks close to passengers using connected devices.
Khaleej Times reported that Dubai Airports is working with the GDRFA on facial recognition and that new screening machines at DXB will allow passengers to keep laptops and liquids in their bags.
Beyond the airport
Griffiths described a future in which a single digital identity follows a traveller from border control to picking up a hire car and checking in at a hotel. That would require airlines, airports and tourism businesses to work alongside governments, he said.
The comments come as Dubai plans for much larger passenger numbers. Khaleej Times noted that the first phase of the expanded Al Maktoum International Airport is scheduled to open in 2032.
What it means for UAE residents now
- Passports are still required for international travel, and nothing has changed in the rules.
- Residents who are registered with the GDRFA can already use smart gates and facial recognition at DXB.
- Emirates passengers at Terminal 3 can register for biometric processing, which needs passport verification, a photo and consent.
- Any move to passport-free travel would need agreement with destination countries, not just the UAE.
Visitors planning a trip to Dubai can read about recent tourist visa changes here: Dubai tourist visas move to Visit Dubai: what changes for travellers.
Sources: Gulf News, Khaleej Times
