UAE PASS Digital Vault Set for Shift to Avalanche Infrastructure

Few government applications have become as useful in the daily lives of UAE citizens and residents as UAE PASS. What could once involve separate accounts, repeated identity checks, printed documents or an in-person signature can increasingly be completed through a single national digital identity.

That ease of use has made UAE PASS more than a login application. It has become a service layer connecting people with government and private-sector platforms, while bringing authentication, digital signatures and verified documents into one largely seamless experience.

The infrastructure supporting that experience is now preparing for another change. Deca4 and Ava Labs have announced a collaboration with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) to integrate Avalanche technology into the blockchain layer underpinning the UAE PASS Digital Vault.

Deca4 will lead the implementation in coordination with TDRA, while Ava Labs will provide Avalanche infrastructure and technical expertise. The work is intended to strengthen the Digital Vault’s scalability and performance as the use of digital identity and verifiable documents continues to expand across the UAE.

The announcement represents the beginning of that process rather than a completed deployment. No new Avalanche-based infrastructure has yet been described as operational.

UAE PASS enables citizens, residents and visitors to authenticate their identities, sign documents and access digital services across government and private-sector platforms. According to figures included in the announcement, the platform serves 12.5 million users and provides access to more than 15,000 services across over 350 entities.

Those figures reflect the reach of the wider UAE PASS platform, rather than the number of people currently using its Digital Vault or Avalanche infrastructure.

A Blockchain Layer Already Exists

The Digital Vault allows users to request, store and share verified official documents. UAE government material has long described the service as blockchain-powered, although its public documentation does not identify the underlying network or provide details about its architecture.

The documents themselves are not stored directly onchain. Instead, a cryptographic record can be used to verify a document’s integrity, allowing an authorized recipient to confirm that it has not been altered without placing its personal contents on the blockchain.

The precise architecture of the existing blockchain environment has not been detailed in official public material.

The planned use of Avalanche should therefore not be presented as the introduction of blockchain to UAE PASS. It represents a change to an existing blockchain layer supporting one part of the national identity platform.

“The UAE PASS Digital Vault has become part of daily life for millions of people in the UAE, and the trust they place in it is something we protect every day,” said Saeed Belhoul, Dgov Operations Director. “Upgrading the Digital Vault ensures the platform is built on infrastructure that can carry that responsibility for years to come.”

What Building on Avalanche Could Mean

The announcement does not specify whether the Digital Vault will use Avalanche’s public C-Chain, a dedicated Avalanche Layer 1 network or another configuration.

For a national document system with strict requirements around access, privacy and operational control, one plausible architecture would be a dedicated, permissioned Avalanche L1. Avalanche allows organizations to create separate EVM-compatible networks with their own validators, permissioning rules, transaction controls and fee arrangements.

Under such a model, TDRA or approved stakeholders could determine which entities operate validators and which systems are authorized to submit or verify records. Personal documents could remain within the existing UAE PASS environment, while cryptographic proofs, timestamps and document-status updates are written to the blockchain.

Users would not necessarily interact with wallets, pay transaction fees or hold AVAX. The blockchain could remain invisible behind the UAE PASS interface, with transactions handled by the platform’s backend infrastructure.

This remains an informed scenario rather than a disclosed design. TDRA, Deca4 and Ava Labs have not confirmed that the project will use a dedicated L1, whether it will be public or permissioned, or whether AVAX will play any operational role.

Building the Digital Vault’s Next Phase

Deca4 will oversee the technology upgrade and transition to the new environment, drawing on its experience across blockchain, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies. Ava Labs will support the implementation with Avalanche infrastructure and technical expertise.

“We are proud to collaborate with TDRA on the next phase of the UAE PASS Digital Vault,” said Mohammed Mahfoudh, Founder and CEO of Deca4. “By combining Deca4’s local implementation capabilities with Avalanche technology, we are helping build a scalable foundation for the next generation of trusted digital documents and government services.”

The stated objective is to modernize the blockchain layer and establish a high-performance foundation for the Digital Vault’s continued expansion. Technical benchmarks, a rollout schedule and service-level targets have not yet been disclosed, leaving the actual performance gains to be assessed once implementation and testing begin.

The handling of existing records is another unresolved area. The transition could involve migrating historical verification records to the new environment, anchoring them through a new cryptographic record, or retaining the existing blockchain infrastructure as a read-only historical layer. Each option would carry different implications for continuity, auditability and operational complexity.

The announcement also does not say whether implementation will occur in phases or whether users and participating entities will experience any changes during the transition.

The Governance Layer Remains Undisclosed

The most consequential questions concern governance rather than transaction speed alone. A permissioned Avalanche deployment could give TDRA substantial control over validator admission, network access and infrastructure policies. A public-chain deployment would create a different model, with greater external visibility but additional considerations around privacy and sovereignty.

It is also unclear who will operate the infrastructure after launch. Deca4 is leading implementation and Ava Labs is providing technical expertise, but the announcement does not define their long-term roles in maintenance, validator operations, monitoring or upgrades.

“Digital identity is one of the clearest examples of technology that has to work reliably at real-world scale,” said John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs. “The UAE is building digital services people use every day, and Avalanche is designed for exactly that kind of environment. This project shows what technology built for business looks like, with high-performance infrastructure operating behind the scenes to help deliver secure and seamless services.”

The selection of Avalanche is notable because it places blockchain infrastructure behind a nationally significant service rather than a standalone government pilot. Yet its significance will ultimately depend on the architecture TDRA approves, the controls built around the network and the results delivered once the system becomes operational.

Will UAE PASS emerge with a sovereign, government-controlled Avalanche network, a connection to public blockchain infrastructure, or a hybrid design combining elements of both?