UAE’s Emirates Identity Authority (Emirates ID), an independent federal body, has set October 31 as the final deadline for UAE nationals to enroll their names in the Population Register and ID Card (PRIDC).

A meeting of the board of trustees, chaired by Lt General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Vice Chairman of the Board, also decided to roll out new fees for services provided by Emirates ID.

Lt General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed also directed to exempt all children under 15 years of age, including nationals and residents, from the late fee until October 1, 2012.

A working team will be constituted to co-ordinate with the Ministry of Health and the health authorities concerned with the registration of the newborns in the UAE, and link them with Emirates ID next year as part of facilitating the registration of newborns in the Population Register and ID Card programme.

The application of late fee for expatriates (above 15 years) will be implemented in four phases, based on the emirate.

The Board also directed to collect the late fee from anyone across the UAE, over the age of 15 years, applying for a residence visa renewal without ID card registration, effective January 1, 2012.

October 31, 2011 will be the deadline for renewing all identity cards expiring up to that date. Any cardholder across the UAE, with the exception of children under 15 years, has 30 days to renew the card from the date of expiry.

As per the decision of the Board of Trustees, any change in the personal data of cardholders, except children under 15 years of age, and incidents that bring changes in personal data should be reported to the Emirates Identity Authority within 30 days from the date of such change or incident. The nature of such data and incidents will be specified later by the Emirates ID Director General shortly.

Emirates ID said it will determine shortly the personal data and incidents that fall under the new guidelines. To facilitate this, the Authority will link with all concerned Federal and local authorities electronically in phases starting mid-2012.

Ali Mohamed Al Khouri, director general of Emirates ID, confirmed that during the next phase, the Board of Trustees will start putting together a working team to discuss mechanisms to link the registration of births with Emirates ID registration and to enroll students under the age of I5 years in the Population Register and ID Card.

Dr Al Khouri said that the total number of UAE nationals remaining to register for Emirates ID does not exceed 100,000 and expressed hope that they will make use of the new deadline and fulfill their national duty.

"The population register and the National ID Card are major pillars supporting the UAE Vision 2021 that aspires to place the UAE among the best countries as well as the best five governments around the world," said Dr Al Khouri.

Ruling out the possibility of overcrowding at the registration centres, the director general said that the appointment system has already brought down the average time spent by applicants at the centres to five minutes from the previous 30 minutes.

As per the modified registration system, application forms can be filled in any of the more than 1,000 accredited typing offices across the UAE.

The receipt issued to the customer after registering for the ID card will exempt its holder from any late fee provided he/she completes the registration by visiting the centre at the appointed time. The receipt will also allow the holder to complete any government transaction for which the national ID card is accepted as a valid proof of identity.

Dr Al Khouri also urged all expatriates in the UAE to register as early as possible for the ID card irrespective of the validity of their residence visas to avoid the late fee.

Dr Al Khouri commended the decision of the UAE Cabinet to collect the same fee from UAE nationals and citizens of GCC countries, noting that the step was the first of its kind in the region.

The Cabinet’s decision to exempt those covered by Social Security, the disabled people and those with autism from the registration fees was also praised by the Director General.

However, he reminded that the exemption is applicable only to the charges and that registration for ID card and Population Register is compulsory for all.

Sufficient notice

Emirates ID has stated that the deadline set for UAE nationals to register for the ID card gives sufficient time to complete the procedure before the late fee becomes effective on November 1, 2011.

The first phase of the registration is completed by filling in the registration form through the typing offices located across the UAE or through the Emirates ID website. The online service will be launched shortly.

Emirates ID has also urged all expatriate residents in the UAE to comply with the schedule specified by the Board of Trustees for registering in the Population Register and ID Card programme in each emirate and avoid late fee payments.

Emirates ID also reminded residents of the Ministerial Decision, which bans accepting, using or treating any resident as an employee, agent, student or in any other capacity, unless he/she obtains an ID card.

Emirates ID explained that the decision to start implementing the late fee in the Northern Emirates as the first phase was made after taking into consideration the population density and the fewer number of people to be registered in these emirates. The phased implementation will allow the registration to be completed as per schedule. – TradeArabia News Service