UAE moves UAEPASS system for 12.5 million users to Avalanche blockchain

The United Arab Emirates is transitioning the blockchain infrastructure supporting its national digital identity platform, UAEPASS, to Avalanche, according to joint statements from Avalanche creators Ava Labs and the nation’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).

UAEPASS gains new infrastructure on Avalanche

UAEPASS is the UAE’s government-backed digital identity system, allowing access to more than 15,000 public and private sector services. The system, used by citizens, residents, and visitors, currently serves approximately 12.5 million people. According to Avalanche’s figures, over 350 institutions rely on UAEPASS to authenticate identity and facilitate secure digital transactions.

Functions of UAEPASS include identity verification, digital document signing, and access to an extensive range of e-government and private business offerings. A central component of the system is the Digital Vault, a feature that enables users to store, manage, and share verified documents securely with institutions that require them.

UAEPASS’s Digital Vault has become indispensable in the UAE, with authorities stating that this move to Avalanche aims to give the system the infrastructure needed to handle growing demand and maintain public trust for the coming years.

Saeed Belhoul, Dgov Operations Director at TDRA, stated that the Digital Vault is now a pivotal part of daily life in the country, and emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring both security and scalability as user numbers and document volumes increase.

Avalanche L1 powers dedicated national systems

The upgraded UAEPASS Digital Vault will operate on an Avalanche Layer 1 blockchain designed specifically for its needs. Unlike shared public blockchains, a dedicated Avalanche L1 provides a separate network for UAEPASS, meaning its performance is not affected by unrelated blockchain activity.

This private network is managed directly by TDRA, which controls network membership, permissions, and configuration, granting increased oversight and flexibility as the system evolves.

Mini dictionary: Avalanche is a scalable, open-source platform for launching decentralized applications and enterprise blockchain networks. Its Layer 1 (L1) blockchains are independent networks designed to meet the requirements of specific applications or organizations.

Digital identity at national scale demands reliable, high-performance technology. Avalanche leadership described the infrastructure as critical for keeping digital services secure and efficient for millions of users.

John Nahas, chief business officer at Ava Labs, noted the importance of robust infrastructure for digital identity platforms, highlighting that systems like UAEPASS must operate seamlessly given the scale and sensitivity of data involved.

National-scale adoption grows

The UAE is not alone in choosing Avalanche for government and large-scale registry systems. In the US, the California Department of Motor Vehicles recently moved 42 million vehicle title records onto its own Avalanche L1. This migration has reportedly reduced some title transfer processes from approximately two weeks to just minutes.

Ava Labs has noted that these government deployments share a common goal: modernizing public recordkeeping for greater efficiency and reliability using secure, permissioned blockchains.

By adopting Avalanche technology, both the UAE’s identity system and California’s vehicle title service can handle high volumes of transactions and user interactions while maintaining strong security controls.

Avalanche’s ongoing efforts to support governments signal a broader shift towards blockchain-based public infrastructure, as authorities look to improve service delivery and maintain high levels of trust and reliability for critical national functions.