Friday, Aug 02, 2013
Abu Dhabi: Residents in the four emirates of Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah should ensure that the typing centres they approach for national ID card transactions are authorised to use new e-forms, say officials with the Emirates Identity Authority (Emirates ID).
Many typing centres in those emirates, which used to process ID cards, have not been authorised to use new e-forms that were formally introduced on Thursday.
The authority ushered in the new e-form in April this year for online applicants and has just now extended it to typing centres for the first time.
Emirates Identity Authority (Emirates ID) has not renewed its contracts with many typing centres in those emirates based on its criteria as part of introducing the advanced new e-form, an official spokesman of the authority told Gulf News.
The number of typing centres whose contracts with the authority was not renewed was not readily available, but the spokesman said the names, location and phone numbers of 131 authorised typing centres in those Emirates have been published on Emirates ID website www.emiratesid.gov.ae.
“This is the list of authorised typing centres as of Wednesday and it will be updated when more typing centres are accredited for this service,” the spokesman said.
He asked residents to ensure that even authorised typing centres in those four Emirates are using newly introduced e-forms. Old type application forms submitted through authorised centres and new e-forms through unauthorised typing centres will not be accepted, he said.
However, the typing centres in three other emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are still using the old form and the new e-form will be introduced in these emirates by the end of this year, he said.
He explained that newly authorised typing centres in the four Emirates were chosen based on their efforts toward Emiratisation and quality of work. Those who failed on these two matters were not authorised to use the new e-form.
As part of promoting Emiratisation, the authority has engaged Tas’heel typing offices, an affiliate of the Services Centres Department of the Ministry of Labour, which has already achieved a high rate of Emiratisation.
Regarding quality of work, the spokesman said there were many complaints against typing centres wrongly typing application forms. Such centres were excluded.
Compared to the previous application form, the new e-form asks for less data from applicants and it can be completed in 10 simple steps within 10 minutes, Dr Ali Al Khoury, Director General of Emirates ID, earlier said. It is very difficult to make errors on this new application, he said.
An expatriate applicant has to pay Dh 270 to apply for or renew ID card, which includes Dh200 card fee, Dh 40 application, packaging and despatch fee, and Dh 30 typing fee. The validity of the ID card and residency visa are same.
For Emiratis, the card fee is Dh100, which is valid for five years.
By Binsal Abdul Kader Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
