Guides / Travel & leaving Qatar / Travel from Qatar

Using the e-gates at Hamad International Airport

Who can use the free immigration e-gates at Hamad International Airport, how to register your fingerprints or face the first time, what to do with children, why a gate refuses you, and what to do about it.

Last reviewed: 13 October 2026

Cost: Free for citizens and residents
Who: Qatari citizens and residents with a valid QID; children only if they meet the current height rule
What to scan: QID, passport, or the QDI app's Travel Document card
Time: Usually under a minute at the gate

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has automatic immigration gates, called e-gates, in both the departures and arrivals halls. Instead of queuing for an officer to check and stamp your passport, you scan your Qatar ID (QID), passport or the Qatar Digital Identity (QDI) app, the gate checks your fingerprint, eye or face, and you walk through. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) offers the service free to Qatari citizens and residents, and residents do not need to apply for it, but your fingerprints or eye scan must be on file and your current passport must be linked to your residency. This guide explains who can use the gates, how to set yourself up the first time, the rules for children, the most common reasons a gate refuses you, and what to do when it does. Rules for children and for non-residents have changed several times, so always follow the signs and staff on the day.

Before you start

A valid Qatar ID (QID): if your residence permit has expired, the gate will not let you through
The same passport that is registered with your residency: if you renewed your passport, update it with MOI before you travel
Your fingerprints and/or eye scan on file with MOI (most residents gave them at the medical and fingerprint stage when they arrived)
Optional: the Qatar Digital Identity (QDI) app installed, signed in and facial recognition completed on the Travel Document card
For children: their own passport or QID, and check they meet the current height rule (MOI has said 130 cm or taller)
Your physical passport and boarding pass in hand even if you plan to scan the QID or QDI app: airlines and the counter may still ask for them
Remove glasses, hats and face coverings before the biometric scan
Check for travel bans or unpaid fines in Metrash before an important trip, as a gate refusal at departure can mean a missed flight

Step by step

Check you are eligible
The e-gates are meant for Qatari citizens and residents. If you hold a valid QID, you can use them for both departure and arrival, free of charge, without filling in any application. Older official guidance also mentioned GCC nationals using their GCC ID card; visitors on visit visas or visa-free entry should expect to use the passport counters unless airport staff direct them to the gates. The airport describes the gates as for 'eligible passengers', so if you are unsure, ask the staff standing at the e-gate entrance.
Read guide: Get your Qatar ID (residence permit) →
Make sure your details are up to date
The gate compares your document with the data MOI holds about you. If you got a new passport and did not update it in your residency record, the system may show your passport as expired and refuse you. Update the passport before you travel, and check that your QID has not expired. If your residence permit has lapsed, the e-gate cannot help you and you must deal with an officer.
Read guide: Got a new passport? Updating it in your Qatar residence record →
Register your biometrics if needed
Most residents already have fingerprints and an eye scan on file from their residency medical and fingerprinting. If you have never used the gates, or the gate fails to read you, go to the MOI biometric office or self-service enrolment booths right beside the e-gates in departures and arrivals. Scan your QID, check that your photo and fingerprints show on the screen, and rescan your fingerprints if asked. It usually takes a few minutes and the registration lasts for your residency.
Read guide: Residence medical exam and fingerprints in Qatar →
Set up the QDI app (optional)
Since January 2025, citizens and residents can use the Qatar Digital Identity (QDI) app instead of a physical card at the HIA e-gates. Download QDI from the App Store or Google Play, sign up and complete facial recognition. Find the Travel Document card in the app. Do this at home, not in the queue, so you are not stuck if the app needs an update or a new login.
Go to the e-gate lanes
At departures, the e-gates are in the passport control area after check-in. At arrivals, they are in the immigration hall before baggage reclaim; the airport calls this 'Scan & Go'. Look for the e-gate signs, usually set apart from the officer counters. The gates are used one person at a time, so wait in the marked line rather than crowding behind someone.
Scan your document
Place your QID or the photo page of your passport on the reader at the first barrier, or, if using QDI, tap the icon on the Travel Document card to verify your face and hold the phone near the scanner. Follow the instructions on the screen, which are in Arabic and English. When the document is accepted, the first glass barrier opens. If the reader does not respond, check the card is face down and flat, and try the passport instead of the QID or the other way round.
Complete the biometric check
Step inside onto the marked spot, take off glasses, a cap or anything covering your face, and look at the camera or eye scanner, or place your finger on the fingerprint reader as the screen asks. Stand still until the check finishes. Once your identity matches, the second barrier opens and you walk out to security (departures) or baggage reclaim (arrivals). You do not get a passport stamp; your entry and exit are recorded electronically.
Take children through correctly
Children can now use the e-gates if they meet the height rule. MOI said in 2025 that children 130 cm or taller can use them, and press reports said children aged 7 and over could use them once a parent or guardian had completed a travel authorisation for them in Metrash; some 2026 airport guidance mentions a 120 cm minimum. Each child must have their own passport or QID with a clear photo. The child goes through first and the parent follows straight after. If your child is too small, or a gate refuses them, the whole family should use the counters together.
Read guide: Metrash: registering and using Qatar's Ministry of Interior app →
If the gate refuses you, go to a counter
If the screen shows an error or a red cross, do not keep retrying in a busy queue. Ask the officer near the gates or go to a staffed passport counter, who can process you manually and often tell you why it failed. Common causes are an un-updated passport, an expired QID, biometrics not on file, a damaged card or a face that is partly covered. A travel ban or a security hold will also stop you, and only the authorities can resolve that.
Read guide: Checking and lifting a travel ban in Qatar →
Driving to Saudi Arabia? Pre-register for Abu Samra
There are no airport-style e-gates at the Abu Samra land border with Saudi Arabia. Instead, MOI asks travellers to pre-register in the Metrash app before driving there: in the Travel section, choose the Abu Samra pre-registration service, choose entry or exit, enter the expected date, select your vehicle, and add the driver and passengers. Officers then receive your details in advance and can check you in seconds. Do it well before holiday peaks.
Read guide: Road trips from Qatar: driving to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman →

What it costs

Using the e-gates (citizens and residents)	QAR 0 (free)
Biometric registration at the airport	QAR 0 (free)

Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.

Common mistakes

Renewing your passport abroad and flying back without updating it with MOI, then being refused at the gate
Assuming a child can follow you through the gate when they are below the height limit or have no travel authorisation
Scanning a second passport (for dual nationals) that is not the one linked to your residency
Keeping sunglasses, a cap or a face covering on during the scan
Trying the gate repeatedly instead of going to a counter, especially when your flight is boarding
Setting up the QDI app for the first time while standing in the queue
Ignoring an unpaid fine or a court case, which can lead to a travel ban that no e-gate can get you past

Questions people ask

Do I have to pay or apply to use the e-gates as a resident?

No. The e-gate service has been free for residents since 2016 and there is no separate application. You only need a valid QID and your fingerprints or eye scan on file with MOI. If the gate cannot read you, register at the biometric office next to the gates.

I got a new passport. Why does the e-gate reject me?

The system still has your old passport linked to your residency, and it may show it as expired. Update your new passport with MOI before you travel, and use the staffed counter until it is done. See our guide on updating your passport in your residency.

Can my children use the e-gates?

Yes, if they meet the current rules. MOI has said children 130 cm or taller can use the gates, and 2025 reports mentioned a minimum age of 7 and a parent completing a travel authorisation in Metrash. Each child needs their own passport or QID with a clear photo and should go through just ahead of the parent. Rules for children have changed several times, so check with staff at the gate.

Can I use the e-gates with just my phone?

Citizens and residents can use the Qatar Digital Identity (QDI) app's Travel Document card at the HIA e-gates. You verify your face in the app and hold the phone near the scanner. Still carry your passport, because you need it to board and to enter your destination country.

Can visitors use the e-gates?

The gates are set up mainly for citizens and residents. The airport says 'eligible passengers' can use them, but it has not published a clear list for visitors, so most visitors on visit visas or visa-free entry should expect to use the passport counters unless staff direct them to the gates.

Will I get a stamp in my passport if I use the e-gate?

No. Your entry and exit are recorded electronically, and you can see your travel history through MOI services. If you need a stamp, for example for another country's visa, use a staffed counter instead.

Is the Qatar Airways Fast Pass the same as the e-gates?

No. Fast Pass, launched in July 2026, uses facial recognition for bag drop, security and boarding for eligible Qatar Airways passengers aged 18 and over starting their journey in Doha. You still go through immigration at the e-gates or a counter, and you must still carry your passport.

Are there e-gates at the Abu Samra border?

No airport-style e-gates have been announced there. MOI instead asks drivers to pre-register their trip, vehicle and passengers in the Metrash app before arriving, so officers can verify them in seconds.

Official sources

Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.

Using the e-gates at Hamad International Airport

Before you start

Step by step

Check you are eligible

Make sure your details are up to date

Register your biometrics if needed

Set up the QDI app (optional)

Go to the e-gate lanes

Scan your document

Complete the biometric check

Take children through correctly

If the gate refuses you, go to a counter

Driving to Saudi Arabia? Pre-register for Abu Samra

What it costs

Common mistakes

Questions people ask

Official sources

Related guides