DYKWIA

I normally get the morning flight from MAN that arrives at around 8pm.

I've done wheels down to hotel bar in 35 minutes when arriving at a favourable B gate

The other advantage of that time is that there is never a wait for the CD, and there are fewer taxis clogging the whole place up.

cctible

No, actually just coming in from DMM. ;-)

Thanks for the info about SmartGates. I don't visit Dubai very often so it may not be worth it, but I'll look into it!

Longton

Travelling from Dammam, presumably you'll be racing to the nearest bar!

DYKWIA

It takes no longer to register for the SmartGates than normal immigration (well, maybe an extra 30 seconds). So, it's definitely worth doing. You can then use the Smart Gates when you leave Dubai.

cctible

I'm sure we'll make a quick stop at the hotel bar! Or maybe even duty free. ;-)

cctible

Just a quick update in case anyone ever goes searching for the same question....

I have no idea which terminal/concourse we arrived at since I am not familiar enough with DBX (but we must have walked a mile or two to get from the plane to immigration! lots of moving sidewalks along the way), but at about 9:00 p.m. on a Thursday immigration was not crowded at all. I walked straight up to the front of the fast track/business class line and there was no waiting. I got through about 2-3 minutes before my friend who was in economy and had purchased Marhaba bronze. So, I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money on that. It was all so quick that I didn't even ask about the SmartGates, but that was ok because on the way out on Saturday evening, we were the only passengers going through immigration at the business/first class check-in area - so again, no wait.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in!

User64

Hello!

On sunday I will to fly to Dubai for the first time. I will arrive at Dubai around 7PM at Terminal 3 (Emirates).

I read on different sites that the immigration could take a very long time (between 1-3 hrs) and the Marhaba Service was recommend.

Maybe you can help me: Are those long waiting times at immigration true? Would you book the Marhaba Service? Will it be so much faster?

Thanks a lot for your adivse!

DYKWIA

At 7pm, T3 arrivals will be very quiet. There's no point going for Marhaba in my opinion.

skywardhunter

Don't waste your money. Nothing going on at 7pm

TBD

Just to confirm here ... Smart Gates are only available to UAE residents, right? A regular foreigner coming in as a tourist cannot use them?

thijsseh

Anyone with a passport from a list of about 27 can register. I'm not sure if the question 'what is the difference between smart gate and e gate was ever resolved, but if you have the right passport you can register. UAE residents don't need to register, they can use their UAE ID card (at least that's how I understand the situation).

TBD

Ok. That's confusing. The Dubai Airports web page definitely says it's for people with Dubai residence cards. I see other sites (e.g. OMAAT) that show otherwise.

Zol

UAE Residents are automatically registered.

If your passport belongs to one of the UAE's visa waiver countries, you can register with an immigration officer upon entering or exiting the country. Once registered, you will be able to use the Smart Gates.

The difference initially stemmed from the fact that they had different gates at entry points and exit points but they have phased all those out and upgraded them all to Smart Gates (at least for T3). Haven't exited or entered through T1 in a while.

TBD

Thanks for clarifying. Although I only plan to enter/exit once, so not sure it's worthwhile. I don't think either airport visit will be during "rush hour".

Zol

Its a personal choice and depending on your arrival departure times, the counters might not be busy but registration takes 30 seconds.