DUBAI-- The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) on Thursday clarified that it was not mandatory for the companies to bear the cost of national identity cards for their employees.
The Director-General of EIDA, Darwish Ahmed Al Zarouni, however, pointed out that if the companies submitted applications in bulk on behalf of their employees, it would help save time for the EIDA officials as well as the applicants, said EIDA "All the nationals, expatriate professionals and their families should obtain the ID card before December 31, 2008," he added.
Zarouni said EIDA is equipped to handle the rush of remaining 600,000 nationals and expatriates within the next 10 weeks. "In addition to the 28 centres of the authority, now applicants can go to any Emirates Post offices and get the application forms. People can also download the application form from our website," he said.
"Our aim is to get ID card for every resident of UAE by end of 2010. With the pace we are processing now, we will definitely achieve this goal," he said./
© Knight-Ridder / Tribune Business News 2008
