8,000 identity cards activated as eGate cards

Eight thousand people activated their identity cards through the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai to be used for passing through the eGate portals at UAE airports since the launch of the service a year ago.

According to statistics from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, 54,160 eGate cards were issued or renewed by the department in the first half of this year.

The number of passengers who have passed through the eGates at the three terminals of Dubai International Airport is 300,755.

Lieutenant Colonel Khaled Nasser Al Razouqi, Assistant Director for Public Electronic Services Affairs at the department, said there is a link between the identity card and eGate services. He said a card activated as an eGate card can be used to pass through the electronic gates at the airports, which encourages use of the card.

He said: “A person can activate his or her identity card for use at the electronic gates of the airports at any of the 11 centres in Dubai for a fee Dh150.

“The department is currently studying the number of passengers passing through Al Maktoum International Airport, which currently mostly handles cargo, to determine its needs of e-traffic portals.

“There is high demand from the public for this service, however we can’t anticipate the time it will take to finalise the link of the card with the eGate service.”

Al Razouqi said it will take a few years for the public to take full advantage of this and other electronic services provided by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

He said: “The total number of electronic services provided by the department is 168, including three new ones to be launched at Gitex later this month. These include Buraq, Takamul and the mobile phone service 150.”

According to statistics, the total number of electronic transactions carried out by the department from January 2009 until June 2010 is 9,000,298, while the total transactions completed during the same period by the service management default e-DNRD is 4,000,413.

The number of transactions completed through the electronic format e-Form is 4,000,099.

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