Emirates ID card to be mandatory

DUBAI - The General Secretariat of the Dubai Executive Council has announced that the use of Emirates ID will be mandatory in Dubai in pursuance of the rules and provisions of the Federal Law No 9 of 2006 on the Demographic Registry and Identity Card and the Cabinet Resolution No 25 of 2011.

It has sent an official circular to the directors general of Dubai local government departments, informing them about the importance of using the ID, both by Emiratis and expatriates.

Departments of Human Resources were earlier notified that the deadline for UAE citizens and their family members to obtain ID cards was November 1. Government employees should have the ID cards by December 1. “All Emiratis, effective from November 1, 2011, should produce and show the ID along with the passport and the UAE citizenship-like family book to finalise and get all transactions and dealings done at the work places, and enjoy the benefits,” the circular said.

All expatriates and their family members, who work in government and semi-government sectors —both federal and local — in Dubai have to produce the ID card and the passport which contains residence visa as essential condition to have their transactions finalised and completed at the work entities, and as per the period of time fixed to each and every category of them.

Expatriate employees, who work in government and semi-government sectors and their family members should produce the ID card with effect from December 1 and all residents in the emirate have to show the ID and the passport with residence visa to get their transactions handled and finalised with effect from June 1, 2012.

The circular exempts the children below 15 years, both Emiratis and expatriates, from the condition until October 1, 2012, provided that the ID of this category will be accepted when available.

The circular urges all entities, departments and establishments in the Government of Dubai to abide by implementing the provisions of the Federal Law No 9 of 2006 on Demographic Registry and ID, which bans acceptance or use or spare anyone in his/her capacity as employee, official, worker or student or having any other status, unless he/she obtains the ID according to the periods of time fixed to each category of the residents in the Emirate of Dubai.

61,000 applications returned to typing centres

The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) has returned 61,000 applications in three months to typing centres due to errors in inputting data, a statement from the authority said on Wednesday. The statement also announced that the authority is planning to provide e-forms to individuals and businesses very shortly.

According to the EIDA, as many as 409,000 UAE nationals and residents registered for ID cards in October including around 23,000 on October 31. More than 2,000 forms were filled out in one hour on the last day of October, the statement said.

The authority asked customers not to wait till the last minute of the final grace period to fill in the e-forms and added that registration through the e-form exempts applicant from paying late fees.

The authority denied the rumours spread by a few typing centres that the e-form system was not working, noting that the system was sometimes slow at some typing centres because they did not use the service in proper way while trying to complete more number of transactions at the shortest time possible.

Some typing centres are spreading rumours as they were banned from providing the e-form service for many reasons including their failure to abide by the required service standards, repeated mistakes in data, failure to use the service properly and keeping customers’ passports with them.

Emaratech, the IT and electronic solutions company in charge of managing the system of filling the ID card registration forms through typing centres, is fully prepared for dealing with customers’ complaints and providing the typing centres with solutions to any problem related to the service, the authority said.

The EIDA announced that the e-forms for individuals and businesses would be provided via its website shortly as part of its keenness on providing advance online services to customers and alleviating the pressure experienced at typing centres.

The authority reiterated that it would not assume any responsibility for any lost or damaged passport left with the typing centres and called on customers to assume the responsibility of their passports. It pointed out that Emaratech’s database showed that some typing centres used to work 24 hours a day to complete as many transactions as possible for those customers who decided to leave their passports with them.

The authority also underlined the necessity for a customer to get his/her ID card within 30 days from the date he/she is notified accordingly so as to avoid the card being destroyed.

Customers can call the authority’s contact centre on 600530003 in case of any inquiries about its services or call Emaratech on 04-2376000 in case of any problem with the typing centres.

anwar@khaleejtimes.com

news@khaleejtimes.com