The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) is launching a fully electric “smart inspection car,” which will use AI facial recognition to identify visa and residency violations.
The vehicle is equipped with six cameras placed around its body to give it full 360-degree coverage, capturing facial images of people within roughly 10 metres of the car.
Officers will drive it as part of their routine patrols and review flagged individuals on screen.
The smart car’s system integrates with AI and a dashboard to present real-time heat maps and alerts, said Faris Almaeeni, Foreign Affairs Systems Department Manager, ICP.
“It’s fully electric. It has its own dashboard, and it’s working with the AI, so it gives you some heat maps,” he said.
The UAE plans to roll out the first units in early 2026, beginning in Dubai before expanding to other emirates.
When the car detects a potential violation, such as someone whose residency status is expired or unlawful, the procedure does not end at the dashboard. An officer will approach the person, verify their documents, and attempt to resolve the situation through standard legal channels.
“The officer will go down and he will speak with him, and they will try to solve his issue with not being legal in the UAE,” Almaeeni said.
The smart car is one of several new tech initiatives launched by ICP at Gitex 2025 as part of a broader push to digitalise inspection and immigration functions.
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