Getting a Emirates ID Card

 If I remember correctly, the first mention to the public of ID cards happened sometime in 2008.

The idea was to have super card that will eventually link bank accounts, health logs, drivers licenses, traffic fines, e gate cards etc and will massively contribute to the ease of the nation. It’s also more convenient for the government to have the records of its mostly-expat population, so in the event of death, for example, it will be a quicker and more convenient way for the government and families to deal with the situation of closing bank accounts and other records.

However, over the past two or three years, the application deadlines for expats and nationals have changed constantly to accommodate the apathetic attitude of the public to the cards. This was partly due to the fact that the online registration form did not work very well (You had to download some type of software to go with it and if you made a mistake you needed another form and would then have to download it from a different computer, it was slightly crazy), the ID card centres were always insanely busy and some government departments and banks had no idea what an ID card was. Dubai’s RTA had also made things easier for people who didn’t have an ID card saying it wouldn’t make it mandatory for people applying for drivers licenses etc to have an ID card.

As a result, the government has had to take a more hard-line approach to get people signing up to the card, it announced more achievable deadlines and also fines for people who didn’t sign up by that time.

The deadlines are separated between UAE nationals, government departments, each emirate and people who already have ID cards and need to renew them. I’ve attached a sheet with information regarding the deadlines, as you will see some deadlines have already been passed. People who have missed their deadline will be fined 20 dirhams per day to a maximum fine of 1,000 dirhams.

If you’ve just arrived in the UAE and are applying for a visa, your HR department should also set up an Emirates ID application for you since the visa and ID card application is now linked.

I hadn’t applied for my ID card till this week and only then because I was writing this blog (Even though I know the process I wanted to experience it) I think the main reason for my procrastination was possibly because of the queues. I had forgotten however that women in the UAE don’t really need to queue. The first part is really easy; you hand your passport over to a reputable typing centre (some are in the ID card centres but can get full very quickly) they fill in a form for you. This could take up to a day depending on how busy they are and the fees will be up to 400 dirhams at the typing centre.

You should get an sms before your appointment (I got mine the day of my appointment and had I not already known when it was thanks to the typing centre, it would have been a mad scramble)

When I got to the ID centre (I went to Al Barsha), there were about 40 men in a queue and my heart sank since we were apparently supposed to collect a ticket before heading to the appointment. This is a bit strange since you shouldn’t need a ticket to tell you when to go for your appointment since you have already been given a time.

Of course, since I was female I didn’t have to wait in the queue and someone very kindly scanned my document from the typing centre and handed me a ticket. Still, what a pointless hassle for the men! A friend says its because they need to check your documents are in order, but I honestly think this could be done during you ’appointment’

After that though, smooth sailing! You wait for your ticket number to be called, head to the appropriate desk and get your fingerprints and a picture taken. And then you’re done. The ID card should take around 6 weeks I’ve been told.

This is the Emirates ID website which may be of some use http://www.emiratesid.ae/en/process-and-fees/registration-process.aspx

Thank you for the positive and kind comments on Facebook and Twitter and please recommend my blog to people who are moving to the UAE.

As always if you have any questions or comments, please email me or comment below and I will do my best to help.

Next week, I’ll do a number of small topics and bunch them together Paying Fines, What to do in an accident, Salik Toll and e gate.