UAE expatriates face fines for failure to register for natl ID

Emiraties and expatriates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) face fines if they fail to to register for national ID card and population register, Gulf News said. The report said the Emirates Identity Authority (Emirates ID) announced on Thursday that it is working to implement the recent government decision to impose fines on residents who fail to register. In a statement, Emirates ID said, "The Authority will put together a robust mechanism to fully implement the Prime Ministerial Decision, which will be effective within 60 days from its date of issue." Gulf News said Emirates ID did not elaborate on the details about the new mechanism on the national ID system. The UAE government had previously set December 31, 2010 as the deadline for both Emiratis and expatriates to register for ID cards. These IDs will be used to access government services. However, on December 25 last year, the UAE government announced that the deadline for both expatriates and Emiratis was extended. Emiratis were given until June 30, 2011 to register, Gulf News said. On the other hand, there was no mention about a new deadline for expatriates, Gulf News added. The report said about five to 10 percent of Emiratis have not yet registered and about 50 percent of them were children. Emirates ID said it would link the ID card registration of expatriates with the issuance and renewal of their residence visas. The authority aims to enroll all expatriates in UAE by the end of 2013, the report added. - VVP, GMA News