National ID registration to be linked with visas

Abu Dhabi, Feb 27,2011 (GN): The national ID card registration will be linked with residence visa issuance and renewal in Ras Al Khaimah from Tuesday, the Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) announced.

This will require all Ras Al Khaimah residents to apply for the ID card before applying for or renewing their visas. This has already been implemented in Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah as part of Eida's 2010-2013 strategy to enrol all expatriates in the country as part of process to procure a residence visa.

Visa applicants in Ras Al Khaimah will need to first apply for the ID card before applying for a new visa or renewing an existing one, Abdul Aziz Al Ma'amari, Director of Public Relations and Marketing at Eida, said.

Al Ma'amari said that a resident's visa application form should have the Eida's seal, as proof of registration.

Residents can visit any authorised typing centre to fill out the application form for the ID card and pay the fee, complete the visa medical test at a preventive medicine centre and then visit the Eida registration centre to complete the ID card registration process.

Meanwhile, a top official told Gulf News that the ID card registration will be linked with the visa medical tests at five small preventive medicine centres across the country.

"We are gradually extending the linking process through every emirate, beginning with the northern emirates," Dr Ali Al Khoury, Director-General of Eida, said.