Expatriate employees in the UAE will not need to have labour cards after three months, said an official from the Ministry of Labour.

'The document which was essential for any employee in the country will now be replaced by the Emirates ID and there will no longer be a need to have a labour card by the end of June, when the deadline for registering expatriates in the ID system expires,' he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Dubai residents, whose residence visas expire this year, can register and renew their ID cards at the time of renewal of their visas, the report said.

Expatriates in Sharjah will need to register and renew their ID cards before February 1, while Abu Dhabi residents must do it before April 1; and the deadline for Dubai is June 1, according to the report.

The Emirates ID is valid for two years for expatriates in the private sector. The validity applies to also family members who are under their sponsorship, the spokesman explained.