Picture the scene at Ghantoot checkpoint on any regular weekday in 2020: endless lines of cars extending as far as the eye can see, drivers sticking their heads out the window asking how long it takes and paramedics swabbing people’s fingers and collecting samples with slides from their vehicles. For a while in the midst of the pandemic, this was what it meant to come into Abu Dhabi from Dubai. All that stood between commuters and getting to work was a quick laser test lasting just five minutes.
Is the Ghantoot DPI Test Available in 2026?
No, the Ghantoot DPI test is no longer available. The testing centre and, in general, the entire DPI network that was built around the Emirate of Abu Dhabi along Al Faya Road was a part of UAE COVID-19 response and was closed once the emirate stopped requiring negative test results for entering the region from Dubai and other emirates.
The service had gone through several major stages before it ceased operations completely. Initially, the test was provided at a single tent-based facility at the Ghantoot checkpoint, then it was upgraded into a full-fledged drive-through test with many lanes, and finally, it was closed once the country decided to stop implementing inter-emirate testing checkpoints.
It is important to note why the search phrase remains relevant after a decade of absence some people want to access the old booking website, others try to understand whether DPI test differs from PCR or rapid antigen test, and some people are just curious what happened to a part of the UAE pandemic infrastructure. This article is written for all of them.
What Was the Ghantoot DPI Test?
The acronym DPI stands for Diffractive Phase Interferometry a laser-based screening method that detects whether the body has an immune reaction to the disease, rather than identifying the virus itself. The difference from a regular PCR test that most people know was significant and defined how it was used.
This type of test was introduced in the middle of 2020 by the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention as a part of scaling up the mass-testing capacity. The UAE needed a solution that would help to screen large crowds of people and Abu Dhabi had to identify a quick alternative to a PCR test which was highly precise but took a considerable amount of time to process.
DPI was the best choice in this situation: it was not a replacement for the PCR test and couldn’t be compared with it in terms of precision, but it offered a way to quickly detect potential cases. The fact that it didn’t require the use of a PCR test to determine the presence of a virus but could flag potential cases was a significant advantage.
The location of Ghantoot checkpoint was chosen with great care. Thousands of people cross this checkpoint every day for work, personal, and commercial purposes, and this was the place where authorities needed to implement a quick screening test.
Ghantoot DPI Test Timings
| Service | Operating Hours | Notes |
| Drive-Through COVID Testing | 24 Hours (During Peak Pandemic) | Open daily to manage inter-emirate travel demand. |
| DPI Laser Test | 24 Hours | Results were typically available within 5–10 minutes. |
| Rapid Antigen Test | 24 Hours | Results were generally issued within 15–30 minutes. |
| PCR Test Collection | 24 Hours | Results were usually available within 12–24 hours. |
| Peak Hours | 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Longer queues were common during commuter rush hours. |
| Recommended Visit Time | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Lower traffic and shorter waiting times. |
How the Test Worked (Step-by-Step)
If you have never taken this test yourself or forgot the details, this section is designed for you.
The Blood Sample Collection Procedure
Drivers and passengers didn’t need to get out of their vehicles. Paramedics cleaned a driver or a passenger’s fingertip with an alcohol swab, took a blood sample, and smeared it on a slide. This procedure resembled a quick blood sugar check and this is exactly why it was a preferred method by the authorities, who had to test such large crowds of people.
The Laser Scanning Mechanism
The sample was fed into the DPI machine where a laser detected the inflammation markers that correlated with the presence of infection based on how a light beam behaves inside the sample. This screening method borrowed the technology that was used in other industries to identify molecular and structural changes in biological samples.
Results Availability
This is the core of DPI test. While results for PCR test usually took a day or two to come out, DPI results appeared literally within minutes, and they were sent straight to people’s phones in the form of a message.
What Happened With a Positive Result
In case of a positive result, a person was supposed to take a confirmatory PCR test and self-isolate until receiving its results. Thus, the DPI was a triage test, and was fast enough to screen people without interrupting the traffic flow.
Industry and health sector reports described DPI testing in terms of thousands of tests handled per day at the maximum level and additional increase in daily test volume for some facilities due to addition of more lanes — a scale impossible to achieve with PCR tests due to time required to process samples.
| DPI Test | PCR Test |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Minutes |
| Sample type | Fingerstick blood sample |
| What it measures | Inflammation markers linked to infection |
| Diagnostic definitiveness | Screening tool, not conclusive |
| Typical cost | Lower cost per test |
| Best use case | High-volume rapid screening at checkpoints |
Where Ghantoot Testing Centres Were Located
The layout of DPI testing facilities around Ghantoot has changed a lot since its existence in 2020 and 2021.
The Initial Tent-Based Facility
The first testing centre was a tent located at the Ghantoot checkpoint, the very last exit point when crossing from Dubai to Abu Dhabi on Sheikh Zayed Road. It was opened in the middle of 2020 and was overloaded by demand immediately and required the switch to a booking system in a matter of weeks. According to reports, it had a very long queue for weeks since opening.
Ghantoot DPI Test Estimated Testing Costs
| Test Type | Estimated Cost in AED |
| DPI Laser Test | 50 |
| Rapid Antigen | 50-100 |
| The PCR Test | 150-300 |
Expansion of Drive-Through Facilities on Al Faya Road
By the end of 2020, it was clear that a single tent cannot handle the volume of testing that is required, and the response was the construction of 18 new drive-through DPI stations in the Seih Sheib area on both sides of Al Faya Road, just before the Ghantoot crossing. They operated 24/7 and had a purpose to alleviate the pressure on the testing centres during peak hours by providing additional lanes for the queue.
Types of COVID Tests
| Test Type | Results Time | Accuracy Level | First Use Case |
| CR Test | 12-24 hours | The Very High | Official travel verification |
| Rapid Antigen | 15-30 Minutes | Modest | Quick Screening |
| DPI Laser Test | Five to ten minutes | Modest | Checking the border entry |
Other DPI Locations Across the UAE
However, Ghantoot checkpoint wasn’t the only location where this type of testing was conducted, although it was the first and the most recognizable one. Once the test was proven to be effective, similar DPI testing centres opened in Zayed Sports City and Abu Dhabi Corniche within the capital city, in Al Khawaneej and Mina Rashed in Dubai, and in other locations of Northern Emirates, such as Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah.
Ghantoot DPI Test vs PCR Test Dubai vs Rapid Antigen Test
| Key Point | DPI Test Dubai | PCR Test Dubai | Rapid Antigen Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | Finger-prick blood | Nasal or throat swab | Nasal swab |
| Result Time | Within minutes | Several hours to 1–2 days | 15–30 minutes |
| Accuracy | Screening only | Highest accuracy | Lower than PCR |
| Confirms COVID-19 | No | Yes | May require PCR confirmation |
| Current Dubai Use | Mostly outdated | Used when officially or medically required | Used for quick screening |
| Travel Use | Not generally accepted | Commonly preferred when testing is required | Accepted only if specifically allowed |
| Best For | Historical pandemic screening | Diagnosis and official reports | Fast personal screening |
Why the Ghantoot DPI Test Matters
While this test is often seen as a footnote in the pandemic history nowadays, the reasons why it was needed in 2020 were quite simple. The fact that Abu Dhabi decided to restrict the entry from other emirates created a serious problem with traffic and required to develop a solution, which was able to screen tens of thousands of commuters daily without grinding the traffic to a halt.
DPI test solved this issue by giving up some of the precision for the sake of speed and scale. While PCR test remained the standard for confirmation of infection, it was completely impractical as a daily screening tool for a traffic checkpoint with this amount of people passing through every day.
There were two organizations that were responsible for the successful implementation of this program. QuantLase Imaging Lab, an Abu Dhabi-based company developing imaging technologies, developed this screening method, while Tamouh Healthcare operated the Ghantoot test centre in Abu Dhabi, providing daily testing service.
What Replaced the Ghantoot DPI Test?
When the situation with COVID-19 in UAE changed and the vaccination level of population increased, the need in inter-emirate testing checkpoints decreased progressively. Eventually, it led to the removal of entry testing requirement for Abu Dhabi, and thus there was no reason anymore to maintain the network of test checkpoints built around Ghantoot crossing.
Today there is no need in entry test requirement for travelling between Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or any other emirates in the country. Travelling within UAE is exactly the same as it was before the pandemic, without test checkpoints, certificate requirement, and health status screenings at all.
For those who are researching entry requirements to the country, both domestic and international, today it is recommended to refer to official sources, because they can change with very short notice.
A Brief Timeline of the Ghantoot DPI Test (2020-2022)
If you want a quick overview of how the testing service developed throughout the period of its existence, this section is for you.
- Mid-2020: MOHAP introduced DPI testing technology; the first tent-based facility opened at the Ghantoot checkpoint on the Dubai–Abu Dhabi border, priced at Dh50 per test.
- Several weeks after opening: Overload of the facility forced the authorities to introduce the appointment booking system due to long queues.
- Second half of 2020: Expansion of DPI testing to other locations, including Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi Corniche, Al Ain, Dubai, and Northern Emirates.
- December 2020: The original tent-based facility at the Ghantoot checkpoint was replaced with 18 new 24-hour drive-through DPI stations located on Al Faya Road.
- Next several months/years: Progressive relaxation of inter-emirate travel testing requirements due to increase in vaccine coverage in the country.
- Closing: DPI testing facilities, including those located in Ghantoot area, were decommissioned once inter-emirate COVID-19 entry testing requirements for Abu Dhabi were lifted.
FAQ Section
What does DPI stand for in the Ghantoot test?
DPI stands for Diffractive Phase Interferometry — a laser-based technique of testing a sample of the blood for the presence of inflammation markers.
This method doesn’t detect the virus in the sample, it rather identifies the way how the laser interacts with the sample, which makes it helpful as a screening step.
Is the Ghantoot DPI test still operational?
No the DPI testing centers, including Ghantoot one, were closed once the UAE authorities lifted the inter-emirate COVID-19 entry testing requirement.
This testing was operational in the period between the middle of 2020 and roughly 2022 and was closed as public health policies in the UAE shifted to another approach to the border testing.
How accurate was the DPI test compared to PCR?
The DPI test was faster (results received in minutes) but less accurate than PCR nasal swab test, which is why the positive result on DPI test was followed with a PCR test.
Think of it as a triage test: it allowed the authorities to quickly screen many people, flag the potential cases, and conduct further testing.
How much did the Ghantoot DPI test cost?
The price for the test was set at AED 50, while PCR follow-up test (if positive DPI result required) was charged separately.
This Dh50 became something of a trademark in local media during this period, as many outlets referred to DPI testing stations as “Dh50 test centers”.
Where can I find current UAE entry requirements?
Check the official requirements for entry into UAE through official UAE government or Abu Dhabi Department of Health channels, as the pandemic-era entry testing requirements are outdated.
At this moment, there is no need in test certificate for travelling within UAE, but if you are researching the entry requirements into the country from abroad, the official government sources will have the most up-to-date information.
Conclusion
Ghantoot DPI test was never planned to become a permanent solution to a problem, but it was one of the most prominent symbols of how the UAE adapted its infrastructure to operate during an extraordinary situation. From a single tent on the Dubai–Abu Dhabi border to 18-lane drive-through testing facility processing thousands of tests daily at its peak, DPI test performed its job for two years and ceased to exist after that.
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