Spatial verification: A smart service to expedite travel across the King Fahd Causeway
In a significant step aimed at revolutionizing the land travel experience, the new "Spatial Verification" service has been launched via the "Nafath" app for travelers crossing the King Fahd Causeway. This technological advancement offers a smart and modern alternative to traditional fingerprint scanning procedures, allowing travelers to complete biometric verification digitally on their smartphones immediately upon entering the border crossing area. This eliminates the need to stop at passport control booths to use manual scanning devices and directly contributes to expediting crossing times and reducing congestion.
How Spatial Verification Technology Works
The innovative new mechanism relies on direct and secure digital connectivity. Travelers must access the "Nafath" application settings, select the "Nafath Devices" service, and then choose the "Spatial Verification" option to begin the process before actually approaching the designated officer at the booth. This service requires activating Bluetooth on the mobile phone to ensure precise technical connectivity between the user's device and the port's operating systems, enabling the automatic identification of the traveler's identity and highly accurate geographical location within the customs area.
The smart system begins performing the biometric matching as soon as the traveler presses the start icon within the application, so that the identity verification and data processing process takes place in a few seconds while the traveler is inside his vehicle, without the need to leave it or the lengthy stop that used to happen previously.
King Fahd Causeway: A vital artery and high traffic density
This service is of strategic importance given the status of the King Fahd Causeway, which is one of the most important land crossings in the Middle East region, and a vital link between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain since its opening in 1986. Due to the enormous number of vehicles that the bridge witnesses, especially during holiday seasons and festivals when hundreds of thousands of vehicles cross, the application of such smart solutions is an urgent necessity to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
This step aims primarily to significantly reduce waiting times at passport control points, as the service eliminates the need to repeatedly place fingers on traditional scanning devices that may take longer to read and manually match, in addition to the health aspect of reducing contact with shared surfaces.
Digital transformation and the Kingdom's Vision 2030
This initiative is part of a comprehensive strategy to employ smart solutions and facilitate traffic flow at entry points, leveraging the advanced digital infrastructure of the National Unified Access Platform. This digital transformation reflects the integration of Saudi government services and its continuous efforts to improve the user experience and quality of life, in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goals of digitizing government services and replacing routine physical procedures with secure and efficient technological solutions.
Travelers are advised to start the verification process immediately upon entering the port gate to save time, ensuring their data is ready on passport control screens the moment the vehicle arrives at the final crossing point, making the crossing smoother and more comfortable.
