Now UAE tourists can open digital bank a/c and get debit card to make cashless payments as UAE’s central bank rolls out new initiative

Now, tourists and visitors heading to Dubai and other emirates in the UAE, like Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, and others can take advantage of the new biometric- based service to open bank accounts and get a digital debit card which would allow them to make cashless payments once the account is created.

According to a report from Khaleej Times, one of the oldest newspapers in the UAE, visitors can now open digital bank accounts within minutes using a new ‘Tourist Identity’ initiative launched on Wednesday, as stated by the authorities

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What is this new initiative?

The report by Sahim Salim said that he Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), in collaboration with the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), said the service allows non-resident visitors to open accounts instantly and securely through a fully digital process.

According to the report, this initiative uses biometrics and facial recognition as its backend technology and is thus fully digital. Moreover, this new system links the digital identity system with ADCB’s mobile banking application, enabling tourists and visitors to open bank accounts within minutes and instantly access essential banking services, including digital debit cards.

Earlier, non-residents, tourists and visitors could open accounts in certain UAE banks only, but that process was document-heavy. To help visitors and touritst, now this new initiative shifts that old document heavy process to an official digital identity-led model, allowing tourists to open a digital bank account within minutes.

According to the report, UAE officials said that the move is aimed at boosting financial inclusion and accelerating the country’s push towards a digital payments ecosystem, while reducing reliance on cash transactions.


Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri, Assistant Governor for Banking Operations and Support Services at the CBUAE, said that this initiative connects visitors to the UAE’s national payment ecosystem, including the ‘Jaywan’ card scheme and the instant payment platform ‘Aani’.

“The initiative contributes to enhancing ease of doing business and delivering an integrated and secure banking experience for visitors from the moment they arrive in the UAE,” Dhaheri said, according to the report.

Major General Suhail Juma Al Khaili, Acting Director General of Citizenship at ICP, said this new initiative enables multiple sectors to deliver services seamlessly to visitors using advanced identification technologies.