National ID cards – what do you need to know?
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/national-id-cards-what-do-you-need-know–369506.html
Emiratis and expat residents were granted extensions last week on applying for Emirates identity cards, easing weeks of scramble caused by the original end-of-year deadline.
The new deadline for Emiratis is June 30, 2011, the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) has said. Expats, meanwhile, are now able to wait until they renew or apply for a residency visa before registering for the cards.
The news followed a number of warnings from Abu-Dhabi based EIDA, that people without ID cards would not be allowed to access certain government services and could face fines for late registration.
The EIDA has yet to clarify what fines, if any, will be faced by Emiratis that miss the June 31 deadline.
The move will ease the strain on the Emirates Identity Authority’s typing centres, where for weeks people have been camped outside in queues as demand outweighed the services provided.
What are Emirates ID cards?
ID cards are required for all UAE residents. They contain personal data including address, photo, date of birth and fingerprints and can be used as official identification throughout the country.
Cards are valid for five years for nationals. For expats, the cards are linked to the duration of a residency visa and can be updated.
What is the deadline for applying?
The deadline for Emiratis has been pushed to June 30, 2011; a six-month extension. EIDA has yet to announce whether fines will be imposed on those that miss the deadline.
There is no fixed deadline for expats, as EIDA plans to link registration to the visa process. This would allow people to register for the card when renewing or applying for their residency visa. The scheme is currently being trialed in Umm Al Qawain and will be rolled out across the country by the end of 2011.
Eventually, registration will be handled at health centres that perform medical checks on foreign workers applying for visas, EIDA has said.
Why do I need it?
Emiratis can’t get a driver’s license or register/re-register their vehicles without a valid ID card. The card can also be used in lieu of a passport for travel to certain Gulf states, including Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
Expats who are registering a vehicle for the first time or applying for a driving licence also need an ID card, though they are able to renew licences or car registrations using other forms of ID.
Over time, residents will require the card to access certain government services such as water and electricity and health services though this has not yet been brought into effect.
Mobile operators Du and Etisalat currently allow people to sign up for phone and internet services without an ID card. There is also no requirement from the UAE’s major banks.
How do I apply for an Emirates ID card?
ID cards can be obtained by applying through any of EIDA’s typing centres. New applicants can book an appointment by visiting emiratesid.ae.
Applicants then receive a text message with their appointment date and time.
At the registration centre, applicants are fingerprinted and photographed, and their information is taken down.
Those renewing cards don’t need an appointment and can attend any replacement work station. Check the EIDA website for locations.
What’s required for registration?
On the day of the appointment, Emiratis bring their passports, family book and (optional) parents’ family book. Expats bring their passports and residence visas.
For GCC nationals, it’s slightly more complicated – passport and a copy of an employment certificate or lease agreement to prove UAE residency.
Nationals will be asked to pay AED100 and an AED70 service charge. Expats will pay AED100 for every year of validity on their residence visas, and the AED70 service fee.
For Emiratis renewing an ID that’s five years old, the price rises to AED120.
The cards will be couriered for AED20, which is included in the registration fee. The cards are expected to arrive within seven to ten days of being processed.
Where are the EIDA registration centres?
There are 17 permanent registration centres in the UAE, in addition to a number of temporary centres. The locations can be found on the website www.emiratesid.ae or by calling the hotline number 600 523432.
Help at hand: Abuse assistance
Help at hand:
Who to call -
02 5561000 Abu Dhabi Social Support Centre
02 8081999 Al Gharbia Social Support Centre
800111 Dubai Foundation for Women and Children
Source: Gulf News
Renew your driving licence online
http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10307998.html
Renew your driving licence online
By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief ReporterPublished: April 26, 2009, 23:10
Dubai: Motorists in Dubai can now renew their driving licences online, Gulf News has learnt.
“We have launched the online driving licence renewal service this week,” Engineer Ali Al Jasem, Director of the Licensing Department at the Licensing Agency of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said.
He said the new service would help reduce road trips of motorists saving their time and money. Also, they do not have to wait in queues to get the job done.
Al Jasem told Gulf News that online driving renewal service was the latest addition to the e-service provided by the Agency to benefit the RTA customers.
Ahmad Bahrouzian, CEO of the Licensing Agency earlier said the RTA would also develop an online portal to help motorists renew their vehicle registration without making trips to the RTA offices. “The initiative will help customers complete many other services online service, including purchasing of number plates, vehicle ownership certificates and driving test appointments.”
Al Jasem said that customers interested in renewing their driving licences will have to do their eye tests first and send details using the e-services on the RTA’s website.
They will have to pay Dh110 as renewal fees. On receiving a complete online application, the licence will be posted to the applicant within four working days.
According to the RTA’s statistics, around 1.2 million people in Dubai hold driving licences while an average of 12,000 licences per month were issued during the course of last year.
“All these people have to go to the RTA offices to get service and have to wait in queues. The new online services will help reduce the rush,” he added.
Eye tests: RTA signs agreement
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed an agreement with Al Jaber Optical Centre and Al Yateem Optician for conducting eye tests of applicants who apply for driving licences. Any one applying for a new driving licence or renewing a licence can go to any shop of Al Jaber and Al Yateem opticians in Dubai to have their eyesight checked – a prerequisite to obtain a driving licence.
The eyesight test will cost Dh25. Din Raj, an administrator at Al Yateem, said that their shops have already started conducting the tests and the online service will be available within a week’s time.
Customers need to bring two photographs, a passport copy or any other proof of identity. A customer can either take a certificate of the test results and submit the application in person or the optician can send the results directly to the RTA.
UAE laws translated into English
http://thenational.ae/article/20090424/NATIONAL/704239817/1138
UAE laws translated into English
Marten Youssef
* Last Updated: April 23. 2009 11:53PM UAE / April 23. 2009 7:53PM GMT
ABU DHABI // In a major step towards improving transparency in the legal system, the Ministry of Justice yesterday announced that every federal law passed since the UAE’s founding in 1971 has been translated into English and will soon be available online.
The ministry has also begun translating 1,500 federal court decisions, 500 international treaties signed by the UAE and 2,000 official fatwas issued by UAE muftis, to create a centralised, easily accessible body of case law and statutes in both Arabic and English.
The Government says the translations will give legal practitioners, businesses and scholars unprecedented access to the country’s lawbooks. The aim is to improve understanding of the UAE’s laws and legal system internationally, as well as foster the transparency sought by international companies and investors.
“There are more people that speak English than Arabic in the UAE and our goal is to make the laws available to them,” said Abdulla al Majid, the Minister’s Adviser and the director of the translation project.
All the documents will be posted online at www.elaws.gov.ae. The website will initially be free for public access for three months, but the ministry is contemplating eventually charging users a subscription fee.
“We are looking for feedback at this stage from the public to wage which direction we will go. We are considering creating different levels of memberships, such as academics and corporations,” Mr al Majid said.
More than 80 people working in the US, Lebanon and the UAE, including various ministries and courts, have worked on the project for two years so far.
“This is a three-step programme. First we had to gather all the relevant laws, then put them on the website in Arabic and then translate them in an ongoing programme,” Mr al Majid said.
The programme also aims to centralise the federal laws, treaties and fatwas and decisions taken by the Federal Supreme Court.
“Our goal was to get every single law created and amended since 1973,” Mr al Majid said.
Although the country was founded in 1971 with the passage of the Constitution, the first federal laws were not passed for another two years.
“This is clearly a wealth of information that for the first time is available to the public directly from the Ministry of Justice and not from a law firm,” Mr al Majid said.
“The best feature about this is the search engine which allows you to find even one word amid a sea of legal documents. That changes the face of research for academics, lawyers, judges, businesses and the public. You can imagine the kind of impact this will have on the overall justice system.”
The English translations are just the beginning, Mr al Majid said.
“We are also considering translating them into other languages, and translating specific laws within each emirate. At this point our focus is on English. This opens new doors for us and boosts our credibility further.”
He said the UAE’s diverse population meant that English had become the language of business. The project “will encourage people to learn more about our values and law even from their own countries before they come here,” Mr al Majid added.
Several sources have already translated many UAE laws.
The most prominent effort has been undertaken by a company called Affinitext, which has translated more than 3,000 laws and made them available in Arabic and English on the internet for specialised users.
The project was initially an undertaking for DLA Piper, one of the largest law firms.
“There are over 3,000 laws with no central repository,” said Graham Thomson, founder of Affinitext.
“Each law resides with a different area: free zones, ministries and so on. To collate just the Arabic is a major logistic challenge. Then translating it, then putting it on the best available programme on the internet,” He said.
However, the translations by Affinitext are available online for a license fee for companies and law firms, and are not meant for private use.
myouseef@thenational.ae
Etisalat warns customers of phone call scam
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/545274-etisalat-warns-customers-of-phone-call-scam
Etisalat warns customers of phone call scam
by Joanna HartleyJoanna Hartley on Sunday, 01 February 2009
PRIZE SCAM: Etisalat customers are being targeted by a Pakistani phone scam. (Getty Images)
Etisalat has issued a warning to its customers of a scam that involves fraudsters posing as its employees who tell customers they have won cash prizes, it was announced on Sunday.
The Abu Dhabi-based telecommunications company has said the scam asks people for their personal information so they can claim the prize, which is then used to rip them off.
The company has confirmed it is not running any prize schemes at present.
And is urging customers not to give out any confidential information such as bank account details, PINs, eVouchers or recharge card numbers to unknown callers who contact them via phone, SMS or email.
Many convenient ways of paying traffic fines in Abu Dhabi
Many convenient ways of paying traffic fines
By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
Published: January 30, 2009, 23:33
Abu Dhabi: There are several ways in which motorists may pay traffic fines imposed on their vehicles. Penalty charges may be paid directly at the traffic departments or more conveniently, online.
Other modes of payment include over the phone by calling the 24-hour hotline of the Federal Traffic and Licensing System and paying through automated teller machines.
The Abu Dhabi Police’s website www.adpolice.gov.ae provides electronic enquiry and traffic fines payment system for motorists across all the emirates, helping residents to save time and effort.
Visit the bilingual website and click the electronic services tab to enquire about the fines. The enquiry may be made using the Federal Traffic Code (Traffic ID) or with the plate number of the vehicle or through the driver’s licence number.
Using the Traffic Federal code for the inquiry will help find fines on all the vehicles registered in the persons name unlike the plate number which only brings up fines on particular vehicle.
In order to pay online, select the fines to be paid, and complete the payment process by keying in your credit card details. The system provides quick and secure service with data being updated in less than five minutes.
To pay in person, go to the ‘Violations Section’ of Traffic and Licensing Department. Submit the vehicle ownership form or the driver’s licence. Pay the fine and collect a receipt.
The office is open from Sunday to Thursday from 7:30am until 2:30pm.
To pay over the phone, call the traffic hotline 8003333.
Details about traffic violations can be obtained in three ways – using the traffic ID, plate or licence number. Payment can be made by credit card. The system will send a fax message afterwards, to confirm payment of fines. Another way of clearing the traffic penalties is to use automated payment machines. These machines, which have touch screens and provide multiple services to customers. The services include inquiry on fines and other services of the police department.
Payment can be made by credit cards or in cash at these machines. They also provide information such as maps, pharmacies, weather and contact details of police stations. Also, complaints, suggestions and security information may be entered.
It is mandatory that all traffic fines on a vehicle are cleared before the registration of a vehicle can be renewed. To be on the safe side, keep all the receipts.
Website offers job search by mobile phone
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/544705-website-offers-job-search-by-mobile-phone
CareerJunction Middle East has announced it has launched an innovative mobile application that allows job seekers to search and apply for jobs using their mobile phones.
http://www.careerjunctionme.com
Weekly Menu – Snack and Meal Deliveries to Dubai Internet City, Media City and Knowledge Village
Cafe Net has been faxing their weekly menu around. Putting this up for DIC and KV workers. Do comment on your experiences with Cafe Net food..
