DNRD gets smarter

Around 50 per cent of the applicants, mainly companies, are now using the e-services rendered by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).

This in turn, reducing significantly the physical presence of applicants at the department branches, according to a top official.

Speaking to Khaleej Times about the e-services provided by the directorate, Colonel Khalid Naser Al Razouqi, Assistant Director-General of the e-Service Sector, said the directorate has several programmes like the virtual department service.

This service enables companies to complete the formalities and apply for and obtain entry visas electronically required on the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) portal without the need for an official to visit the directorate’s premises or its branches. He said customers (companies) could enter the information required about the persons wanted to be hired in the relevant columns on the visa application and pay the applicable fees.

Another service being rendered now is submission of applications for entry and residence visas via the Internet. This service enables a customer to track the application status and print out the visa after it is issued. One can also apply for a health insurance along with the entry visa application through this service.

As many as 4,469,784 transactions were processed last year, while a total of 2,980,211 transactions had been processed since the beginning of this year, he said.

mVisa

Al Razouqi said the department also renders the mVisa service by which a customer’s mobile phone is used to replace the original visa.

Elaborating, Al Razouqi said that after finalising the visa formalities, the department sends an SMS, which will also have a barcode, to the employer and the prospective employee overseas while he/she is still in his/her home country.

A copy of the original visa is also forwarded in Portable Document Format (PDF) format to the sponsor’s email. The employee to whom a visa is issued must show his mobile phone message to the visa officer upon arrival at the Dubai International Airport. The visa officer scans the barcode on the cell phone after which the original visa appears and is printed out. A special counter has been designated in the airport to offer this service, he added.

e-Form

Further, there is an e-Form Service, Al Razouqi added. This facility is provided to companies and individuals through the DNRD portal.

The customer can sign up and create an account and then fill in the e-form on the portal to apply for a visa. As many as 2,108,312 transactions were handled through this service last year, while 1,850,251 were processed in the first half of this year.

Amer Van

Amer Van is a mobile office, which renders most of the services given by the GDRFA to its customers. A vehicle is dispatched to the doorstep upon the request of a customer or company. The van is fitted with the necessary equipment which can process and complete the DNRD’s transactions fast. The Amer mobile office levies no additional charges if it is dispatched to a group of applicants.

Barq service

Talking about the Barq service, which in Arabic means ‘lightning’, he said customers can renew residence visas of individuals — be they family members, investors or domestic helpers — through such a facility with no need to visit the DNRD headquarters or its branches. It is provided against an additional fee of Dh50.

What one needs to do is to call toll-free ‘Amer’ service’ number 8005111 and an officer will explain to the customer which papers are required and when and where a Barq officer shall meet the customer to collect the papers and his/her passports to process the transaction quickly. That would help save time and efforts of customers, Al Razouqi said. A total of 10,589 of transactions were processed through this service in the first half of this year, he noted.

SMS alerts

Through this service, Al Razouqi said, UAE citizens, residents and establishments receive SMS alerts about a passport or a residence visa that is about to expire soon, advising them to renew the same in time. This facility helps reduce the violations the residents may commit and help them avoid fines and other penalties.

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com

(With inputs from Alaa Ali)