Abu Samra border to become 100% electronic: Official

Doha: The General Authority of Customs (GAC) is working to make the Abu Samra border fully electronic, an official has disclosed, adding that the GAC is also looking into sharing information with the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

In a recent interview on Qatar Radio, Abdullah Al Jaber, Head of the Passenger Section, Land Ports of the GAC, said there is an ongoing plan to make Qatar’s only land border which it shares with Saudi Arabia, a ‘smart port.’ He said over 107,000 vehicles have benefited from the ongoing upgrade since the GAC started its implementation.

“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,” Al Jaber said.

According to Al Jaber, there have been discussions with Saudi Arabia to exchange vehicle information so that when the Saudi or GCC visitors arrive, their information will be readily available. He also revealed that the GAC would link its systems to share information with the insurance.

“When we register the data for a GCC vehicle, it would immediately transfer to the insurance quickly, which would allow for more fluid movement,” he added.

Al Jaber said passengers would fill up all their information which would be received on Metrash2. This information would be quickly checked at the border by the official. 

Last month, the MoI dedicated a lane to pre-registered vehicles crossing the Abu Samra border. Users were urged to log in to the Metrash2 app, select ‘Travel Services’ and then ‘Pre-Registration for Abu Samra Border Crossing’, and enter the required data.

According to Al Jaber, commuters have been using the system since it was introduced, but he urged more travellers to take advantage of the pre-reserved lane system.

MoI announced that more than 376,500 passengers crossed the Abu Samra border during Eid. The ministry said more than 107,300 vehicles also used the border in the same period. During the World Cup, Abu Samra received 844,737 passengers entering and exiting the country.