Residency permit processing time in UAE reduced 50%

The ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Health and

Prevention, and Human Resources and Emiratization and Emirates Identity Authority have announced measures to reduce by 50 per cent the time required to process a transaction for the issue of a residency permit.

The move is part of the world's first government accelerators, a new government approach that will accelerate the achievement of the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021.

Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the accelerators have multiple tasks and responsibilities to boost the pace for achieving the goals of the National Agenda and projects.

The government bodies will also be tasked with implementing joint projects in record time to transform government services to advanced standards by 2021.

Dr. Hussain Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for Health Centres and Clinics, Ministry of Health, stressed the ministry had established the happiness station at the Ajman Preventive Medicine Centre with other partners to streamline the process of issuing the residency permit.

''The Ministry of Health is committed to co-operating with other government stakeholders to deliver the objectives of the government accelerators regarding the residency permit for private sector staff in 100 days,'' he affirmed.

Decree for Restructuring Ajman Realty Offices

His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, has issued Emiri Decree No. 12 of 2017 pertaining to the reorganisation of real estate offices and the supervision of their working mechanisms to ensure that they keep abreast of the urban development witnessed by the emirate.

The decree, which includes 24 articles, stipulates the classification of real estate functions that may be exercised by real estate brokers within the Emirate of Ajman under the provisions provided in the Decree. These include real estate inspection and valuation services, the buying and selling of properties by the broker, real estate leasing and management activities, mortgage broker functions, field training, representation offices, auctions, exhibitions, and registration processes with the Land and Properties Department in Ajman.  The decree also details information on the issuance of real estate business licenses, whereby persons are prohibited from carrying out any real estate activity unless the organisation is licensed by the Ajman Department of Economic Development (Ajman DED) and is also registered with the Land and Properties Department.

According to the decree, the Ajman DED may not issue a new licence, or renew or modify a valid license for a real estate office to engage in any real estate activity, unless the applicant fulfils a set of conditions, most important of which is that individuals pursuing licenses must be UAE citizens or GCC nationals, or are representatives who have been licensed by the DED to engage in real estate activities within the Emirate of Ajman, and are accountable to official bodies for the management of the real estate office concerned.

The decree shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Emirate of Ajman and shall be circulated among concerned parties and authorities to follow its provisions. - Wam

RTA Implement New Rules for driving license from July 1

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai will start on July 1, 2017, the implementation of the new Executive Regulation of the Federal Driving and Traffic Law as revised by the Ministerial Resolution No. (177) for 2017 (Article 84 governing the issuance and renewal of driver licenses).RTA’s commitment to implement the Resolution is in line with its efforts to serve the public interest in this field. 

Detailing the news, Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA Licensing Agency, said, “Article (84) of the Ministerial Resolution (177), which will be implemented as of July 1 this year, sets several stipulations for issuing and renewing driver licenses. It sets the initial validity of Driver Licenses issued or replaced, as 2 years for citizens, GCC nationals and other nationalities aged 21 years and above. It sets the validity of renewal of driver licenses as 10 years for citizens and GCC nationals aged 21 years and above, and five years in respect of other nationalities of the same age group. 

“For those aged less than 21 years, be it citizens, GCC nationals or other nationalities, the initial validity of the driver license issued, replaced or renewed shall be one year as currently applied,” he explained.

“RTA is always keen to comply with the Federal and Ministerial Laws governing the issuance, renewal or age limits related to driver licenses out of its keenness to serve the public interest and realise its vision of providing Safe and Smooth Transport for All,” added Bahrozyan.

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.