Here the desk you're looking for:

http://imageshack.us/a/img577/2195/ycuc.th.jpg

Does one need a UAE resident visa? I assume all countries that can visit UAE visa free are eligible?

That's funny, when I read that in the newsletter I read it as free for all. Didn't think of it as enabled on all cards but you would need to pay if not Gold or Platinum but you are most probably correct.

You are correct. Complimentary egate for all skywards members irrespective of tier as per the august newsletter. I don't know if its a typo as DXB is going to lose a lot of money if this is the case as a significant number of pax flying to DXB use EK anyway.

The exact wording is

With complimentary e-gate now available on all Emirates Skywards membership cards, for eligible nationalities, you can enjoy a more convenient travel experience at Dubai International Airport.

Yes - residence visa required for non-visa waiver countries, and yes - visa-waiver countries are eligible even if not residence visa holders (my s/o, who has an American passport but no residence visa like me, just got her E-Gate card no questions asked at DXB T1 departures).

Mine there was a link saying:
"Sail through Dubai Immigration in seconds
Check if you qualify for e-gate"

that brings you to: http://www.emirates.com/FR/english/h...?faqId=1127032

And it is clearly said: "E-gate is available to all Emirates Skywards members over 18 years old, residing in the United Arab Emirates, or nationals of the Gulf Cooperation Council or of the UAE's visa waiver countries..."

Means you can register because the latest cards have magnetic strip (even the blue), but still need to pay if you're not Gold / Plat.

Thanks for the information. I have Hong Kong passport, so, I guess I am eligible. How do you register at T1 departures? It would be very handy for long connection, and, I just realized some North American and European carriers refused to tag the bags on the EK flight from DXB if that is on a separate ticket!!! :mad: I missed my EK connection at DXB last week due to the 2.5 - 3 hrs UAE immigration and I already left 5 hrs between flights.

May I suggest that you book the Marhaba Meet and Greet service that should help you speed through immigration. I do this as a matter of course for all my friends and relations when they visit to ensure that if there is a queue when they arrive they do not get held up for long. You can do this on line - when their system is working that is ...

Thanks for your suggestion. I will keep that in mind and consider it next time.

Does anyone know if that EGate card is usable only with EK flights or can it be used with any flights in/out DXB? I in general only use EK to/from DXB and connect to CX/SQ/TG/BA/LH for the long haul. Say can I us it to enter/exit Dubai if I am flying DOH (EK) DXB (SQ) Asia?

It is not linked to EK but rather UAE immigration.

Is your s/o holding a Gold card or above with a card that shows a special logo? I do not recall I ever saw any Blue/Silver cards marked for E-Gate, my relative over in Dubai told me that eligible for E-gate has a E-gate logo at the back.

Silver is definitively compatible with E gates. But it will cost 160 AED.

Sorry, we just paid AED 200 and got a regular card as she doesn't have a physical Skywards cards yet (she is exclusively a oneworld flyer, much like me these days). In the past, when I was EK Gold, I did activate the E-Gate on that using my residence visa, which was free.

E-Gate Card Registration
 

Does anyone know where can I register the Skywards card for E-Gate at Dubai Airport? I could not find the counter in T3. There is a second location listed as T1 food court (I did not find that one either), is it the food court above the Duty Free Shop? In the letter that Emirates sent, there was a place called DNATA Deira, but there are 2 DNATA in Deira per their website: DNATA Deira City Center and DNATA Deira Tower. Which one is it? (I will be staying close to City Center.) What time do these offices open? Thanks.