From 11th April, 2022, the Government of UAE will not issue residence visa stamps to the foreign nationals residing in the country. In an official announcement, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security stated that UAE expatriates will receive an Emirate Identity Card (ID Card) in place of the earlier visa permits.
The government is planning to combine the process of residence permit and ID card application into a single forum. The forum will collect all the information relating to the issuance and renewal of residency rights of the foreign citizens. Initially, the electronic copy of the ID card will be made available on request.
In this article, our top lawyers of UAE will discuss the major changes and their implications with the introduction of this ID card for the expats.
What are the major changes?
In the opinion of our top lawyers of UAE, this ID card will act as a substitute of the earlier residency visa stamps. This ID card will be used by the expats to prove residency rights in the country.
The main objective of introducing this identity card is to bring transparency and credibility in this process. In the earlier regime, there were chances that the residency visa permit can be misused, and even it can be fabricated as well. This ID card will reduce a substantial amount of work and time of the government official as the issuance process is quite simple and straightforward.
UAE expatriates have started availing this new scheme, which is aimed to cater speedy service with maximum passport security. For the people who travel regularly, this ID card is a boon as the waiting time to get the visa is reduced significantly.
The details fed in the ID card are digitally stored with the government, which can be accessed at important places, such as airports, ports, etc. If you aren’t even carrying your visa, you would be good to go because of the authenticity of your ID card.
Conclusion
With the introduction of new ID cards in place of earlier residency permits, a substantial amount of time for expatriates will be saved. The processing is very quick and information can be retrieved at any place. For a foreign citizen, this ID card will act as a repository of all the essential information at one place, and will serve as a proof of residency status. Our best lawyers of Dubai have suggested that all the expats should make an application for this ID card at the earliest to avoid any serious problem in the future.
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