UAE residents fined for failing to apply for a new national ID card or renewing their expired card on time can recover the paid penalty if they submit a convincing proof of conditions that prevented them from doing so, according to the ID authorities.
The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) said it had just created a grievance unit to deal with such an issue, adding that fines could be recovered within a month.
In a statement carried by the Arabic language daily Emarat Alyoum, EIDA said such circumstances could be that the defaulter was abroad for treatment or other necessary purposes, their passports are held by authorities or other parties, they were in jail for some reason or ill at hospital, or were attending university courses abroad.
“Those seeking to recover the fines they had paid for delay must submit proof of those circumstances to the registration office,” EIDA said.
Under a cabinet decision issued in 2011, applicants who are late in having a new ID card or renewing their expired card are fined Dh20 per every delay day or a maximum Dh1,000. The fine also applies on those who are late in notifying EIDA of any change in data they had supplied for their card.