Ejari mandatory for Electricity and Water connection in Dubai from 1st of July

Preparing to move to a new apartment, you need to attest tenancy contract with Ejari for getting electricity and water connection in Dubai from 1^st of July 2017 onwards.

It’s no longer possible to move to your new flat and have your tenancy contract attested by getting an Ejari (‘My Rent’ in Arabic) at a much later date unless you want to live without electricity and water.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) on Tuesday announced that attesting tenancy contract will be mandatory for to get their electricity and water services activated beginning July 1.

To avail of Dewa’s services, customers must attest their tenancy contracts at any of the 800 real estate offices approved by Dubai Land Department. They do not have to visit Dewa’s customer happiness centres since the two agencies are now linked, saving their time and effort.Once the Ejari is attested, the customer will receive a welcome message from Dewa via e-mail and SMS, including the account and premise numbers, as well as a link to pay the security deposit.

Once the security deposit is paid online or using any of the smart channels provided by Dewa, electricity and water services are activated for the customer.

Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, said the move supports Dewa’s efforts to achieve the vision of the Dubai Government to enhance transparency and improve efficiency in the government sector and adhere to the best international practices."Government departments in Dubai work to achieve the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance integration among each other to unify procedures and save the time and effort needed to get government services,” Al Tayer said.

“At Dewa, we adopt this approach and work to link our services with other government departments to provide integrated smart services that enable customers to conduct their transactions, anytime anywhere. This saves their time and effort and achieves their happiness. This also minimises physical visits to government departments,” he added

UAE Wallet smartphone app is your passport in Dubai Airport

Passengers departing from Dubai International Airport can now use their smartphones at the smart gates instead of their passports as part of a new service called Smart UAE Wallet. Lt General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of the police and public security in Dubai and Major-General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, director-general of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai), launched the project in cooperation with Emirates airline at the Dubai International Airport on Tuesday.

The new facility is expected to reduce departure clearance time to between 9 and 12 seconds per passenger. For now, the UAE Wallet app can be used in Terminal 3. It will be operational in all terminals after the wallet is linked with other airlines. “The Smart Wallet will save passengers’ time and also protect their documents and passport. Passengers will only need to use the smartphone at the smart gates and scan their fingerprint [to finish the departure procedure] with ease,” Lt Gen Tamim said.

In the initial phase, the UAE Wallet will contain the personal ID, passport details, and smart gate card data of the traveller. “The second phase will link all the data of Emiratis and residents into the wallet so people don’t need to show their documents when transacting in any government department. The individual will show the barcode inside the phone to share his data and finish the transaction in seconds,” he added.

People can download the app from the Apple store. “The application is safe and has security checks. The developers said it is impossible to hack or misuse the application,” Lt Gen Tamim said.

Brigadier Talal Al Shanqiti, the assistant to the director-general for ports affairs at GDRFA Dubai, said:” Passengers will only need to scan the barcode on their smartphones at the smart gates and scan a fingerprint to complete the process in 9 to 12 seconds. Emiratis and residents represent 55 per cent of people using Dubai Airports and the UAE Wallet will reduce traffic at all gates.” Sami Akilan of Emirates airline, said: “Passengers don’t need to carry their passport now, even the boarding pass because all the data registered in the system including the name, seat number and flight number is linked to the wallet. This will reduce the time and effort.

How to be avail of the UAE Wallet

• Download the UAE Wallet app from the Apple store.
• Register for the UAE Wallet any time before your travel date.
• After registering, present the required machine-readable barcodes generated within the UAE Wallet to pass through the smart gates.

New draft law offer Better conditions for UAE house maids

The Federal National Council (FNC) approved a draft federal law on domestic workers during its 16th legislative session held 30th May under the chairmanship of Dr Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, President of the Council.

The new draft law comes as part of the UAE's continuous efforts to provide the best living conditions for its residents. It also aims to enact special legislation to regulate all issues and procedures related to helping workers, while safeguarding their rights and duties and spelling out procedures for their recruitment.

The council stressed the importance of the draft law in regulating the relationship between employers, workers and recruitment agencies. It has a provision prohibiting the recruitment or employment of any worker under the age of 18, and also prohibits non-citizens to act as a broker for the recruitment of workers.

The worker may not be recruited or employed except in accordance with the conditions, controls and procedures provided for in this law, it adds.

The draft law also says the recruitment office is obliged not to bring the worker from his country unless he declares the type of work, its nature, the amount of the comprehensive wage and the availability of proof of fitness, health, psychological, professional and other conditions determined by the executive regulations of this law.

It stipulates that the worker has the right to a weekly rest day and compensated adequately if he/she has to work on an off. The worker is entitled to annual leave for 30 days for each year. According to the draft law, the worker has the right to sick leave for a period of not more than 30 days in the contractual year.

The amended draft law also requires the recruitment offices to bear the expenses of returning the worker to his country. The workers have the right to keep their official documents such as passports. And the recruitment offices should bear the expenses of returning the worker to his/her country.

Facial, iris scans to help reduce need for U.A.E ID cards

Third generation integrated bio-metric data for ID cards will be launched by the UAE in the next four to five years, a top official said on Wednesday.

This means, people will not be asked to carry their ID cards, the official told the Federal National Council. “The 3rd generation integrated biometric data for ID cards, to be launched by the UAE within the next four to five years, will use iris prints and facial prints along with fingerprints for identification verification,” Dr Saeed Abdullah Bin Mutlaq Al Gafli, Director General of the Emirates Identity Authority, told the House as he was answering a question from Salem Ali Al Shehi, a member from Ras Al Khaimah.

Dr Al Gafli added that in five years’ time people will not be asked to carry their ID cards as the new technology will allow identity verification without the ID card.

The Emirates Identity Authority endeavours to upgrade systems to meet requirements of the UAE’s fourth generation of the government excellence system — the first of its kind across the globe that focuses on results and was designed to develop government performance.

Dr Al Gafli said a new target has been set for the government by 2018 to allow 80 per cent of those who use government services to access them via mobile devices as the Emirates Identity Authority works to achieve the full potential of the ID card at both the individual and institutional levels through the innovative ID card reader software and the ID card data reader via mobile phones and tablets software via the Near Field Communication (NFC) technique.

The innovative ID card reader software is an innovation based on a range of integrated software that deal with the ID card in several languages and that are compatible with various types of smart card reader devices. It enables government and private entities to deal with the ID card and read the contents of its smart chip easily based on smart platforms.

“The software also enables all service providers to deal with the ID card via smart devices and on all platforms [Apple, Android, BlackBerry, Windows] so that the various entities can take advantage of the Emirates ID Authority’s digital ratification gate services to support their ability to provide their smart e-services via various smart phones by using the ID card in accordance with the highest standards of security and credibility in dealing with individuals and identifying them through cyberspace,” Dr Al Gafli said.

The technology is made available for Abu Dhabi Police, etisalat and du, according to Dr Al Gafli.

The ID card data reader software, through the Near Field Communication (NFC) technique, allows reading the ID card’s smart chip data using mobile phones or tablets of all types without having to use a traditional card reader device, as the ID card can be recognised by the device used at only 4 cm from the back of the device and the data stored on the electronic chip will then be read and uploaded to the entity’s system or the software used by the concerned entity or person.

This software provides the institutions and entities of different areas an advanced and easy way to obtain the personal data needed to complete their customers transactions within seconds, which contribute to save time and effort required for data entry and transaction completion and to avoid errors that occur during data entry by traditional means.

In May 2015, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced that 96 per cent of citizen services in the government’s 337 most important departments had successfully gone mobile.

UAE’s non-Muslim expats now register a will

Non-Muslim expatriates can now dictate where they want their assets to go when they die, after a decision to change rules governing wills. The changes will ensure there is no dispute or confusion over a deceased’s belongings and custody of children, and expats can register a will for about Dh500.

Abu Dhabi has had no way of registering wills drafted in the UAE or an expat’s home country.

Only Sharia was applied.

In most cases, a court would freeze the assets to ensure all heirs were contacted before the estate was split up, resulting in long delays and high legal costs. Yousef Al Ibri, Undersecretary at the judicial department, said the move was recognition of the "realistic needs" of all sectors of society in Abu Dhabi.

It laid down the legislative framework to protect the rights and freedoms of people of different faiths.

Mr Al Ibri said these rights would now be protected under the state’s constitution, "which affirms the enjoyment of foreigners of rights and freedoms prescribed in international charters".

 "This will have a positive effect on attracting people of distinguished expertise to work and live in Abu Dhabi," he said. "This decision will constitute a quality leap towards enhancing the competitive position of Abu Dhabi emirate, establishing it as an ideal destination for residence and investment."

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, approved the changes that came into effect on Tuesday.

Wills in Abu Dhabi will also be registered in English, not Arabic.

Dubai International Financial Centre’s Wills and Probate Registry, which is linked to the Dubai Government, is the only registration system for wills in the Middle East and North Africa. It has registered 2,500 wills since its inception in 2015.

Sean Hird, director of DIFC Wills and Probate Registry, said the announcement of a registry of wills and probate in Abu Dhabi was a positive move for people living and investing in the emirate. "At DIFC, we have been providing eligible individuals with the option for the past two years and now offer various options for people to protect their assets in Dubai and now RAK," said Mr Hird.

"We hope this encourages asset owners to tackle their significant ‘life admin’ by thinking ahead to safeguard their assets."

The death of a breadwinner or homeowner can mean assets being frozen for months, and tens of thousands of dirhams in legal fees, particularly in the event of a dispute.

Some Abu Dhabi law firms have been writing invalid wills for expats, despite the documents having no legal standing.

Hesham Elrafei, a legal consultant and founder of the UAE legal portal Lex Animata, said the cost of registering a will in Abu Dhabi was expected to be negligible.

Mr Elrafei said those with property on Reem, Yas and Saadiyat islands would also be able to ensure their properties were distributed without dispute.

"This is an affordable service, which will not exceed Dh500 a will and the door is now open for all non-Muslims living in Abu Dhabi to register as per their choice," he said.

"This is to secure and protect their assets and properties in Abu Dhabi, which includes real estate, bank accounts, stocks, cars and end-of-service gratuity.

"A non-Muslim expat can now easily register his will in English to whoever he chooses to, whether his wife, daughter or any member of the family."