No more residency stickers for foreigners residing in the UAE as of April 11, 2022, as the government-issued identity card — Emirates ID — would now contain details of a resident's visa status.
The residence and the identity card applications will be joined together in a new unified form, aiming to improve and develop processes related to the customers’ journey. This is an embodiment of the UAE’s vision to provide world-class and high-quality services enhanced by technology.
Emirates ID, issued by the federal authority for identity and citizenship, is a legal requirement for all UAE citizens and residents. It is a must to carry it with them at all times for purposes like identification checking, health insurance verification, and as a valid alternative travel document to pass immigration through UAE’s airport smart gates.
With the newly-approved system, a complete smart transformation of the authority’s residency services would boost the happiness of customers and adds qualitative flexibility in the issuance and renewal processes. The new generation of Emirates ID cards now will have an added value in proving the personal identity of individuals in the UAE through the presence of personal and professional data displayed in the previous residency stickers.
Among the Emirates ID features that provide the highest levels of accuracy and security are a high-quality polycarbonate smart card; digital signature and authentication certificates; and fingerprint biometrics. The enhanced version will have more advanced and technological characteristics such as higher chip capacity, a non-touch data reading feature, and a consolidated 3D picture authenticated with the citizen’s date of birth.