8.29 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

If asked to leave papers at typing office, tell Eida

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

If you are asked to leave behind your original documents by the authorised Emirates ID typing centre, citing a huge backlog, don’t give in to their demand. Just report it to the Emirates Identity Authority (Eida).

Abdulaziz Al Maamari, Public Relation and Marketing Director, Eida confirmed to 'Emirates24|7' that the authority had already withdrawn its services from 150 typing centres who had committed different breaches. The breaches could range from seeking money over and above the stipulated fee, continuously repeating errors or continuing to use the same user names.

Eida has also called upon applicants not to leave their original documents with any authorised typing centres and to report their unlawful activities for official action to be taken against them According to the official, all authorised typing centres have signed a service level agreement containing an article which clearly states that it is forbidden to keep any of the applicant’s validation documents at their premises in the absence of the applicant or the applicant’s representative.

“Hence, it is prohibited for typing centres to do so and such an act may lead to revocation of Emirates ID services,” Al Maamari said, adding, “The authority has a strict stand against typing centers holding applicants’ original documents in their absence.”

Last month, this website had reported that certain typing centres in Dubai were asking applicants to leave behind their passports as they had a huge backlog to clear.

When asked what measures had been taken to stop this “illegal” activities, Al Maamari said: “Through customers’ reporting, or through site visits, it may become apparent that a typing centre is demanding that applicants keep their original documents at their premises. In such a case, an official warning letter is sent to the management of the typing center clearly stating that they have violated the service level agreement and that continuing to ask customers to leave their documents will result in revocation of the Emirates ID services from the typing centre.”

ID renewal needs finger-print again

Applicants seeking to renew their UAE national identity cards will now need to have their fingerprints taken again in a reversal of previous measures which required card holders to visit only typing centres.

The new measures coincided with a decision by Eida and the Residence Department to link issuance of new work visas or renewal of the existing ones to having that card.

The decision was enforced in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and will be implemented in other emirates at the start of 2012.

Officials said such a condition does not affect expatriates on visit or tourism visas as they are not required to have the identity card. In a statement carried by the Arabic press on Sunday, Eida said expatriates applying for visas must first apply for the ID before they are allowed to have medical test under the new link-up agreement.

“ID holders whose card has expired must visit the identity registration centre at the preventive medicine for new finger prints before they can have blood test for visa…once their finger prints are taken, they will be given a receipt that will allow them to have medical test,” Eida said.

Quoted by the semi official daily 'Al Ittihad', an interior ministry official said the new measures do not apply on visitors or tourists to the UAE. “Visit and tourism visas do are not covered by these measures as applicants for such visas are not supposed to have the national identity card,” said Major General Nassir al Minhali, assistant undersecretary for naturalisation.

RELATED STORY: Emirates ID must for AD visa from Sunday

www.emirates247.com/news/emirates-id-must-for-ad-visa-from-sunday-2011-10-13-1.423348