Children-only passport counters open at Dubai International Airport

Young passengers aged four to 12 can now stamp their own passports at Terminal 3

Dubai International Airport staff help a young passenger stamp his passport. Photo: General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs

Children arriving at Dubai International Airport will now be able to stamp their own passports.

The new children-only platforms will be located in the arrivals hall in Terminal 3, Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

Young passengers wishing to stamp their own passports will be greeted by characters Salem and Salama, dressed as GDFRA employees.

The department said the initiative is designed to build friendship and make Dubai a “city for everyone”.

The announcement comes as Lt Gen Mohamed Al Marri, director general of GDFRA, and his team visited the airport on the first day of Eid Al Fitr.

During their visit, they watched children use the platform for the first time.

Dubai has seen a surge in the number of international visitors.

The emirate hosted 3.1 million visitors in the first two months of 2023, according to the latest data from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.

In January, the number of visitors increased by 50 per cent year-on-year and stood 9 per cent below the pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019, an assessment by Emirates NBD showed.

And in February, Dubai’s tourism exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with 1.63 million visitors, up 7 per cent from 2019 and 35 per cent year-on-year.