The Emirates Identity Authority has exempted elderly, people with special needs, social security beneficiaries and their sponsored members from paying the additional services fees for the identity cards.

With this move, the number of categories exempted from delay fine payment has risen to eight from five in 2012.

The five categories included: People who have remained outside the country for more than three months or those whose ID card expired while they were outside the country; people whose ID cards have expired after they were deported following an administrative or judicial decision; a person who has died; people with contagious diseases, people with total or partial disability; people who could not apply for or renew ID cards because they were not issued a passport - either a new one or while changing nationality and delay in registration or renewal of ID cards due to errors made by Emirates ID staff or typing centers, said a statement from the company.

Emirates ID said that the new categories which are exempted from paying fees against availing additional services cover those with total or partial disability, patients and elderly people (70 years and above) who are unable to travel to the registration centers across the country.

The additional services offered by Emirates ID include mobile registration and the urgent service for registering without prior appointment to issue a new/renew the ID card for all segments and ages, it stated.

According to the resolution, categories exempted from paying delay fees include diplomatic missions, consuls or persons in charge working in the consulates operating in the country, the elderly people (70 years and above) who can’t travel to the registration center across the country and social security beneficiaries and their sponsored members.

The authority pointed out that exemption collective requests submitted by public or private organizations will not be regarded.-TradeArabia News Service