The expatriate residents in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah will be exempted from this mandatory requirement in the current period and the rule related to them will be announced later.

A statement issued by the Ministry of the Interior said that persons who not hold an ID card must apply for it to take advantage and complete the formalities related to them in accordance with Federal Law No.9 / Year 2006 pertaining to population registration and identity card, as well as the cabinet ordinance No.201/1/Year 2007 in this regard.

The Statement also said that directives have been sent to all security authorities and police directorates across the country linking the completion of any activity related to the Interior Ministry and police departments to the obtaining of the multi-use identity cards by citizens and residents as of November 8, and excluded the residents of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah emirates from the mandatory requirement in the current period. The rule pertaining to them will be announced at a later time, said the announcement.

The Law of Population Register and Identity card of the Emirates Identity Authority makes it obligatory for all citizens of the United Arab Emirates and residents who are above the age of 15 to obtain the ID card to identify and establish the identity of individuals at various transactions.

The Population Register and the National ID Card Project (PRIDC) is a national pioneering project that comes under the significant development plans in the UAE nowadays. It is considered one of the governmental initiatives aiming at achieving the continued development and growth in all life aspects, in addition to being one of the e- governmental projects.

The ID card is today recognised as an accredited and unified identification document to all government and semi-government and private bodies. Holder of the card can have access to administrative and electronic services with convenience and highest degrees of safety and privacy.

Holders of the card from UAE citizens can use it as a travel document and safe facilitator to log onto computers softwares and hardwares, websites and e-signature system.

EIDA has agreed with the Ministry of Finance to integrate its E-dirham into the ID card. EIDA has also partnered with the Ministry of Interior for using the card for passing through the e-gate at national airports.

The scope of use of the ID card will be expanded when all nationals and expatriate residents were registered in the PRIDC to include data of other services like the health and labour cards , e-commerce transactions, driving licence, passports.  The ID card provides potential infrastructure and applications according to the desire of the client.

The project will result in a unified National ID Card for citizens and expatriates that will help enhance stability and safety while drastically improving administrative efficiency, benefiting the government and the people.

Purposes and benefits of the Population Register Program :

• Set up and develop an accurate centralized database as well as secure the information security and secrecy.
• Identify and verify the identity of individuals thanks to the identification number associated with the biological characteristics.
• Issue a safe smart identity card to identify all the population of the UAE.
• Achieve linkage and integration with the various government and semi- government authorities.
• Provision of statistical information and data in support of planning and decision making.
• Provision of a solid infrastructure for the e- government project.
• Upgrade and ease of the governmental services level.
• Put an end to forgery.

The Population Register Program includes a centralized database consisting of particulars and data of all UA nationals and residents of the UAE which were collected upon registration. The newly used technology in the Population Register Program helps avail the latest methods of protecting the data and information in addition to provision of a safer environment to identify and verify the identity of individuals