The Emirates ID registration deadline for Dubai residents has been extended one month. The Emirates Identity Authority (EIA) announced the one-off extension today, which ends on June 30, saying it was to help workers, who had not yet registered, avoid delay fees.
According to the EIA, the decision to extend the deadline was in response to the calls it received through its website and social networking sites.
It attributed the reason behind the delays for the workers to the first stage of the registration process, which requires applicants to fill out a registration or renewal form at an authorised typing centre or on the EIA’s website.
People are then required to visit a registration centre, which they specify while filling out the application form, after they receive an SMS confirmation on their mobile phone.
Almost 90 per cent of the Dubai population had managed to register before the original cut-off day on May 31.
The authority said it received 3.3 million registration forms in the first five months of 2012, one million of which were filled out in May.
The EIA said the ID card project would contribute to speeding up the pace of development and growth in the UAE, as part of the Emirates ID’s 2010-2013 strategic plan and the UAE Vision 2021.
The ID card will gradually link all other government transactions and become the country’s main proof of identity.
The registration deadline for UAE nationals and children under 15 years, across the country, is October 1.