Australia has extended the SmartGate service in its airports to arriving and departing Emiratis who hold ordinary passports, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced.

The citizens of UAE can choose to clear their arrival and departure by using the SmartGate services, provided they get a pre-arrival electronic entry visa to Australia, reported Wam, the official Emirates news agency.

Ahmed Saeed Alham Al Dhaheri, the Ministry's Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs, said the use of arrival and departure SmartGate at the Australian airports, is granted to holders of ordinary UAE passports who are at least 16 years of age.

He added that the facilities extended to Emiratis abroad show that the UAE passport is among the most highly respected and trusted travel documents in the world.