No UAE visa stamping on passports: What will banks use as residency proof?

The UAE Central Bank has informed all the banks, exchange houses and finance companies in the country that the new Emirates ID card can serve as an alternative to a residency sticker.

Starting April 11, the UAE residents’ Emirates ID would count as their residency because the ID now contains all the relevant residency-related information, according to the UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security.

The Central Bank’s directive comes in line with that the Cabinet Resolution No. (31/2) of 2022 for approving the use of the Emirates identity card as proof of valid UAE residency and suspending the process of issuance of the residency sticker affixed to the residents’ passport.

“Accordingly, the residence and the identity card applications have been joined together in a new unified form that includes the issuance and renewal of the residence and identity card services in one application instead of previous separate applications,” said the circular.

Since Emirates ID will be used as a residency permit at immigration counters, airlines will also be able to verify residency through residents’ ID and passport numbers.

Previously, a visa page photocopy was mandatory for most of the transactions in the public and private sectors, including opening a bank account. The UAE residents welcome this new initiative by the government because of the reduced processing time and the convenience for frequent flyers.