The Emirates ID card is not mandatory to apply for visit visas for relatives, which can be done with an e-gate card, an official has clarified to Emirates247.com.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razouqi, General Director of e-Services Sector, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs of Dubai, residents who wish to sponsor their relatives can apply for visit visas with e-gate cards if they do not yet have an ID card.

This website followed up on queries received from our readers that the authorities were asking for ID cards for those who wanted to apply for a 90-day visit visa for friends and family. However, Al Razouqi clarified that the ID card is not mandatory to apply for a visit visa, which can be done with an e-gate card too.

However, there is still not requirement for either an e-gate or Emirates ID card for 30-day visit visas.

Nevertheless, Al Razouqi maintains that possessing ID cards will enable residents to avail all UAE services without the need to have any other card, including an e-gate card.

It'll be optional for residents to apply for e-gate cards once they have ID cards, he added.

Since the ID card application process may take time, those who do not possess either of the cards are advised to apply for an e-gate card at the time of applying for visit visas as the process is much quicker for an e-gate card.

An e-gate card costs Dh200 and is valid for a period of two years. The documents required are passport valid for a period of not less than six months and a valid residence visa.

According to the statistics of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, 2,970,145 passengers used e-gates at the Dubai International Airport during the first 10 months of this year. This is an increase of 217,381 passengers from last year.

A total of 89,120 e-gate cards were issued during the same period. 

Time choice for ID card applicants soon

Meanwhile, Dr Ali Al Khoury, Director-General, Emirates Identity Authority (Eida), was quoted by 'Gulf News' as saying the authority will soon roll out a system wherein ID card applicants will be able to choose a convenient appointment to register at Eida centres.

Currently a centralised system allots appointments and informs applicants via SMS after the pre-registration process is completed at a certified typing centre. "We are developing a new system which will allow applicants to choose a convenient appointment while completing the pre-registration process at the typing centres," he said.

The new move has been planned as several applicants were not keeping the appointments at the alloted registration centres.