The wrap: ID cards

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The amount of identification that is needed by UAE residents is often overwhelming and can rarely just be tucked away in a wallet or purse. Passports are needed to check into hotels, driving licences and health insurance documents have to be carried at all times and setting up a bank account can require a wealth of documentation. It's a situation that can cause complications on many occasions - whether it's relating to emergency medical treatment, buying a mobile phone sim card or starting up a business.

‘One of the most difficult things to accomplish when opening a company here is the huge amount of ID documentation that individuals have,' says Mustafa Al Rumali, who runs a gardening firm in Dubai. ‘When we take on someone who already works here, we need copies of their visa, passport, driving licence and health insurance.'

The Ministry of Labour is looking athow things can be made simpler, as there are sometimes delays in getting a visa because just a small amount of information is missing. ‘What would be best for helping businesses is an ID card that has all the information on it,' Mustafa says. ‘As things stand an employee information file contains lots of sheets of paper. When there is that amount of information then mistakes are bound to happen. When someone starts with us it would be perfect if we just took a copy of their ID card - hopefully this will happen soon,' he adds.

In countries such as the UK, the government plan on introducing ID cards in order to clamp down on illegal workers and terrorist activities. Critics argue it The wrap ID cards Ramadan FAQs The possibility of ID cardsfor every UAE resident has been discussed at the highest levels of government for several years now. And with the country's population increasing all the time, many feel it's now vital for all residents to carry identification, so everything from healthcare to the justice system works more efficiently. Matt Slater reports would be a violation of civil liberties and a waste of money. But in the UAE, where the majority of the population are expats who need a visa to be here in any case, ID cards seem to have little vocal opposition. The scheme is seen by most as a way to cut through reels of red tape.

With this in mind, the UAE Ministry of Labour is currently undertaking a widespread review of the way resident visas are processed and handed out to applicants. The government is keen to keep attracting new businesses to the country, and officials say they want to make life as easy as possible for anyone looking to start a new venture here.

Officials at the Ministry of Labour told Time Out they will continue to put resident visas in passports, as customs officials need to know who is coming into the country. But it is likely that in the future a visa ID card will be introduced that can store a variety of personal data.

‘We are aware that it is not ideal for people to keep having to hand over their passport,' explained an official at the Ministry of Labour. ‘A visa ID card would solve that and all the information that is on a passport would also be stored on the card. It will obviously not replace a passport, but will be carried on a day-today basis for use in all types of things.'

One of the most pressing concerns in regards to identification cards in the UAE is the way healthcare works. Health insurance cards only prove that a patient is covered and, particularly in an emergency situation such as a car crash, paramedics say they need more information. When treating a victim it is much safer if it can be instantly known whether they have any medical conditions or allergies.

Ministry of Health Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health and Primary Healthcare, Dr Marian Mohammed Matar, recognises the problem and says that within the next 12 months health ID cards will replace existing documents.‘We want to have a system of the highest standard,' she says.‘The card will reduce paperwork and aid those in the medical profession.'

The indications from both the labour and health ministries are that ID cards will be issued to everyone living in the UAE. However, it is unlikely that it will just be one card. Labour cards that have all work visa, passport and driving licence details on them will speed up many of the administrative processes that currently take weeks to complete. And with proper health information cards coming in sometime in 2008, not only will the health system become more efficient, but lives will be saved with frontline medics able to get their hands on vital information much quicker.

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READERS' COMMENTS

UAE ID Card
Posted by Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Sunday 23 September 2007 at 17:00 UAE time


Perhaps the writer is not aware of the identity card issued by the Emirates Identity Authority (www.emiratesid.ae). This card contains all the data of the holder's passport, driving license, health card, labor card, security pass, etc. In short, all official government data is stored on the card. It is currently only available for UAE Nationals, but eventually will be mandatory for all residents.

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