95% of expat professionals yet to register for ID cards

Abu Dhabi: About 95 per cent of the expatriate professionals are yet to register for national identity cards before the deadline on December 31, a senior official told Gulf News on Monday.

"Although we do not have the exact official number of expatriate professionals, it is estimated to be about 600,000 and just 30,000 of them registered so far," said Thamer Rashed Al Qasimi, Planning Director and Project Management Director at the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA). "About 200,000 Emiratis also have to finish their registration by the end of this year".

He said EIDA has the capacity for 7,000 registrations a day, if people don't delay, major part of expat professionals can be covered in time. "But we receive about 3,500 people a day". Among the 28 registration centres all over the country, most of them work from 7.30am till 10pm, said the official.

He said a lot of negative publicity was given to EIDA's reminder on the deadline of December 31 for the professional expats. "It was not new but announced in May and everybody knew about it. But very few people turned up to register and our centres were empty until we mentioned the possible sanctions," explained Al Qasimi.

It is totally unacceptable that people approach a legal requirement on the basis of possible sanctions, he pointed out. They have to think how to fulfil their legal obligation rather than the problems to encounter if not registered. For more information, Call EIDA at 600523432 or log on to www.emiratesid.ae

Stateless people: No extension to deadline

There will be no extension to the November 6 deadline for receiving applications from people without documents to prove their identity who wish to apply for citizenship.

Major General Nasser Al Nuaimi, Director of the Interior Minister's office and Chairman of the committee tasked with tackling the issue of people without documents to prove their identity called on people from the six categories to register. These categories include people who have a UAE passport but no Khulasat Al Qaid (Family book) and have no previous nationality, people who have been naturalised by decrees and have no other citizenship, people who have applied for citizenship and were given follow-up receipts.

Source - © Gulf News [28 October 2008]