All UAE citizens go Digital

Ministry of Interior (MOI) in the UAE announced that as a part of their commitment to provide quality services to the locals, all the citizens would receive E-Passports as of 2017. The measure is taken as a part of the latest attempts from MOI to attain technological supremacy and meet the global directive of International Civil Aviation Organization which has made it compulsory for all countries to have E-passports.

The UAE started the issuance of E-passports in 2011 and the process is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. The ministry further stated that those citizens who wish to acquire new passports can submit the request to the concerned department with all the required documents and their passport would be sent to them in the record time. The E-Passports hold all the data regarding the individual in a digital manner that enables the authorities to quickly check their accuracy and also reduces the chances of fraud and mismanagement on international borders.

The passport would be a key document for the UAE citizens travelling internationally, however, they would still need to keep the expired copies of the passports in case they fall into the wrong hands and create a chance of misuse. The ministry further stated that no new fees would be imposed upon the citizens for the issuance of E-passports but they would have to bear the previous paper passport fees. The request for the issuance of E-passport can also be completed through the website of the Ministry of Interior (WWW.MOI.GOV.AE).