UAE: Emirates ID to replace residency visa stamp in passports

The change is set to take effect for new IDs issued from April 11

Dubai: The UAE has announced it will cancel the residency visa stamp, and Emirates IDs will be enough to serve as proof of their residency.

The decision will take effect next Monday, April 11.This means that UAE residents will no longer need to stamp their residency visas on their passports.

The residence visa stamp is applied as a sticker on the holder’s passport once he or she completes residency procedures. The stamp has information such as the sponsor details, date of issue and expiry date, along with residency file number.
This also means the issuance or renewal of residency visas and Emirates IDs will be in one application.

According to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security, the move comes in implementation of the Cabinet decision to support the development of services provided and apply best practices. It aims to reduce the steps associated with the process of issuing and renewing residency visas and will now instead be linked to the Emirates ID.New-gen Emirates ID
The authority said that the ICA smart application provides the possibility of obtaining an electronic copy of the ID upon submitting the issuance or renewal request, adding that the new generation of the Emirates ID card issued to foreigners residing in the country will include all details mentioned previously in the residency stamp, including personal and professional data, the issuer and other readable and non-readable data on the face of the card.

Major General Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Acting Director General for Foreigners Affairs and Ports at ICA, said that the previous form of residency stamps will only be available online via the authority’s smart application, in a step aimed at enhancing transitional flexibility towards using the identity card as an alternative.

He clarified that the authority has already coordinated with stakeholders in the aviation sector to enable holders of valid residency visas who are outside the country to enter the country as well as visitors by verifying their identity through a passport reader available at the platforms of airliners.

Al Rashidi stressed that the authority has developed all necessary technical facilities to obtain the details of individuals’ residency through a printed form that can be applied for, through individuals’ accounts using the authority’s smart App or website www.icp.gov.ae, which allows the possibility of printing residency details form in just 3 steps.

Al Rashidi noted that the decision will annul the service of receiving and handing over a resident’s passport previously assigned to stamping residency visas.