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Identity crisis on the cards?
Wednesday 15 Dec, 2010
The countdown to December 31 is on. But not for New Year’s Eve.

The date is the deadline for UAE residents to hand in their applications for an Emirates ID Card.

But with just over two weeks to go, a 7DAYS investigation has found that signing up to the compulsory scheme is far from easy.

The process is clearly laid out on the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) website and seems simple enough. Applicants must fill in a form, pay the fees at a typing centre and then wait for a call to attend a registration session where fingerprints and photos are taken.

But when 7DAYS tried to call each of the 30 typing centres listed for Dubai to see if we could start the application process, we found only nine were working numbers.

Of those, three answered and just one said it was currently accepting applications.

One customer service adviser at Copy Corner Head Office in Al Rashidiya said it had a backlog of more than 1,000 forms and would not process any more this week.

The second centre that answered, Namariq in Al Qusais, also refused to accept applications but for a different reason: “We are not involved with it any more. This is an order from the owner - what can I say?”

7DAYS also called each of Abu Dhabi’s registration centres and there was no reply at any of them.

If residents wanted to challenge EIDA, they may find it difficult. Its own website proclaims: “Emirates Identity Authority does not report to any ministry or governmental institution.”

So if in doubt, call the emergency hotline right? Wrong.

7DAYS called ten times yesterday and was unable to get through.

The investigation was prompted by letters, tweets, website postings and emails received from readers who have encountered similar problems.

Some had been turned away due to a growing mountain of applications. Others had resorted to lining up at typing centres from 4.30am only to find they were still at the back of the queue.

The card’s mandatory status was announced in 2008. It was mooted as a solution to carrying multiple forms of identification in the UAE.

The deadlines for applications have changed several times since then after the application process was beset by glitches and peaks in demand.

EIDA has warned failure to carry one of its cards will lead to residents being blocked from accessing public services and government departments.

But when 7DAYS called Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Roads and Transports Authority (RTA), both said they did not currently accept the card as a valid form of identification.

The December 31 deadline was passed by Federal Law and still stands although the penalty for breaching it has not been announced.

nichola.jones@7days.ae