The UAE Ministry of Finance (MoF) has signed a MoU with the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) to help make the ID card as the basic identification document when dealing with the ministry.

The memorandum was signed at the Ministry's headquarters in Abu Dhabi by Younis Haji Al Khouri, the undersecretary of MoF, and Dr Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri, the director general of EIDA.

Senior officials at the ministry including Musabah Al Suwaidi, the assistant undersecretary of support services sector, Mariam Mohammad Al Amiri, the assistant undersecretary for the management of financial resources attended the signing ceremony besides Amer Al Mahri, the director of the Government and Community Communication Department at EIDA.

As per the agreement, the MoF will start using the ID card as the basic identification document for identifying and verifying employees of the federal government and those of independent entities in the UAE, said a statement from MoF.

Additionally, the ID card numbers will be linked to the salaries of those employees as well as to the external services provided by MoF, such as issuing Tax Domicile Certificates, it stated.

Moreover, the memorandum includes a clause which will allow the Ministry to take advantage of ‘encryption capabilities’ for each specific ID card, in order to verify its electronic authenticity, validity, data integrity and the identity of its holder.

These capabilities also include the potential to store data and information on the chip of the ID card on each person dealing with MoF from federal government and independent entities in the UAE, it added.

Commenting on the deal, Al Khouri said the move was testament to MoF’s determination to continue promoting its e-services, both in specialised financial transactions that serve the federal government and independent entities, or those that benefit members of the local community, including employees of the federal government and private sector institutions.

"The Ministry will continue to strive for the establishment of new partnerships that support our services and reaffirm our commitment to the adoption and application of the very best practices in the management of government resources.”

Al-Khouri, shed light on the Authority’s efforts to contribute to continued economic and social development in the UAE, by harnessing its achievements to serve all ministries, government departments and entities.

EIDA’s efforts aim to support strategic decision-making and to contribute to delivering “smart government” services in various fields, he added.

According to him, the smart ID card has special highly-developed security specifications and will deliver significant benefits to the MoF.

"The chip contains biometric data of each ID card holder, allowing each person to be identified electronically. Simple and reliable, electronic identification of personnel from all government and private agencies will simplify procedures, saving time, money and resources for both the service provider and its customers," explained Al Khouri.

He also stressed that the authority was hoping to develop the services offered by government bodies and institutions in the UAE with an integrated e-system to manage personal identity.

This will support the UAE’s drive to build a competitive economy by harnessing advanced technology to serve citizens and residents and improve their quality of life, he added.-TradeArabia News Service