• Home

DNRD launches Distinguished Guest Project

DUBAI - Businessmen visiting Dubai frequently will be treated as distinguished guests by the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), which will issue them, upon the request of their sponsoring companies, pre-loaded e-cards valid for two years that will allow them unlimited number of entries on visit visas to Dubai, only via the Dubai International Airport or any other entry point in the emirate.

The 'Distinguished Guest Project' was unveiled yesterday by Brigadier Saeed Mattar bin Bleilah, Director of the DNRD, who stressed that the new system will offer simplified solutions for frequent business visitors who are not citizens of the 33 countries entitled for the visa-on arrival facilities.

"According to the Department of Civil Aviation's statistics, the Dubai International Airport handled nearly 18 million passengers in 2003, compared to just 5 million in 1992. Most of these visitors arrived on pre-arranged visas and did not belong to the 33 countries that are exempted from these visa procedures," he observed.

"With Dubai emerging as a regional commercial dynamo, business traffic has been on the rise. We anticipate further dramatic increase in visitors in the next few years, as a result of mega development projects that will turn Dubai into a business and tourism centre, under the leadership of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister," Brigadier bin Bleilah said.

"The Distinguished Guest Project has been launched for the benefit of companies that need to regularly bring professionals and partners on business tips several times during the year. We have developed the project in response to a demand from corporate visitors and multinational companies that need to sponsor the same persons several times in a year. Under the Distinguished Guest Project, companies can buy an electronic card that gives entry access a number of times, depending on the value of the card."

"Any company registered with the DNRD and has a file with the department including those operating in other emirates, can apply for this facility for a particular visitor by paying Dh150 for the two-year valid e-card which enables the visitor to exit/enter through the e-gate in addition to Dh200 per each entry permit to be loaded on the card including the Dh100 federal visa fees and an additional Dh100 as an urgent service charge. An electronic pre-loaded card will be issued in the name of the holder. Each time he enters the country, the Dh200 visa fee will be deducted electronically from the amount," Brigadier bin Bleilah explained, observing that the move is part of DNRD strategy to create solutions that will eliminate time-consuming procedures.

Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Lootah, Assistant DNRD Director for Quality and Information Technology Affairs, briefed reporters on the objectives of the project and its description saying that the DNRD is adopting IT-based solutions to simplify visa procedures and speed up the movement at traffic at the Dubai International Airport. "The Distinguished Guest Project eliminates the normal requirement of renewing the visit visas at the end of two months, or applying for a fresh at the end of the stipulated period, thus decreasing the load on the DNRD and airport staff specially since the volume of passengers from all over the world has been increasing," he said anticipating that between 2,000 to 2,500 will benefit from the new service as a start.

Lt.-Col. Salah bin Saloum, Assistant DNRD Director for Entry Permits, explained that the pre-loaded e-card will be issued to the visitor only after going through the normal security check and ensuring that the person in question is not banned and that the company has clean records.

"The same regulations governing the entry permits of all types will also apply to the visitors issued the pre-loaded cards in terms of the conditions and the duration of the stay each time which is one month at the end of which the visitor has 30 days as grace period," Lt. Col. bin Saloum said, explaining that the passports of Distinguished Guests will bear stickers specifying the number of visas that are entitled for and which were pre-loaded on their e-cards.

• UAE