Visa renewal : Emirates ID card to be linked

Abu Dhabi: The national ID card registration will be linked with residence visa issuance and renewal in Western Region in Abu Dhabi from Sunday, the Emirates Identity Authority (Emirates ID) announced on Tuesday.

The preventive medicine centres (PMC) conducting visa medical tests at Madinat Zayed, Sila and Delma will start linking the process with ID card registration from April 24. The PMC in Ghaythi will link the medical test with ID card registration on May 1.

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This will require all expatriates in the Western Region residents to apply for the ID card before applying for or renewing their visas, said a statement issued by Emirates ID. A resident's visa application form should have the Emirates ID's seal, as proof of registration.

Residents can visit authorised typing centre to fill out the application form and pay the fee, complete the visa medical test at a PMC and then visit the Emirates ID registration centre to complete the registration process.

This has already been implemented in Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah as part of Emirates ID's 2010-'13 strategy to enrol all expatriates in the country as part of process to procure a residence visa.

Apart from expanding the linking process emirate-wise, Emirates ID has started linking the visa medical tests and ID card registration at small preventive medical centres across the country, a senior official told Gulf News recently. This is to expedite the linking process, Dr. Ali Al Khoury, Director-General of Emirates ID, said.