Abu Samra border to be converted into fully electronic 'smart port'

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The Peninsula newspaper reported on 7 May 2023 that the Abu Samra border is expected to be turned into a fully electronic 'smart port' based on a statement issued by an official of The General Authority of Customs (GAC).

As per the report, the Head of the Passenger Section, Land Ports of the GAC, Abdullah Al Jaber, had mentioned during an interview with Qatar Radio that the authority is working towards making Qatar's only land border which is shared with Saudi Arabia fully electronic and is expecting information to be shared with the Ministry of Interior (MOI).

It was also mentioned that since GAC has begun the implementation of these upgraded electronic services, more than 107,000 vehicles have benefited.

Abdullah Al Jaber had said, "We are working on having the entry port become 100% electronic. But we are starting step by step to link with the Saudi side, the electronic aspect, and insurance".

Furthermore, it was reported that GAC has had discussions with Saudi Arabia to exchange vehicle details, so in cases when Saudi or GCC visitors arrive in Qatar, their information will be available. Plans to link GAC systems with insurance for ease of sharing information were also mentioned.

As per Abdullah Al Jaber, "When we register the data for a GCC vehicle, it would immediately transfer to the insurance quickly, which would allow for more fluid movement".

The report also added that the Metrash2 application would be able to receive information as registered by passengers, which will be checked promptly by the border official.

The start of this digital implementation is the introduction of the vehicle pre-registration service on the Metrash2 application and Hayya Portal, which also gave access to a dedicated lane at the Abu Samra border for expedited entry formalities.