UAE to launch one app for all services

The UAE government is working on a unified portal and application, where residents can access all the services offered by federal entities.

Services offered will include visa and licence renewal, and paying utility bills. Residents can also access some private sector services with a click of a button, said a senior UAE government official on Tuesday.

“One of our main focus (areas) is to unify and consolidate services so that customers need not worry where to get services. They don’t need to download multiple applications as we’ll consolidate all the services under one online platform. We are moving from multiple high-quality mobile applications to one super app with super quality and super ease of use,” said Mohamed bin Taliah, Chief of Government Services for the UAE government.

The hybrid system will work proactively and send notifications to consumers when their licences are about to expire, the official told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of Gitex Technology Week.

“The system will send a notification to consumers, asking if they would like to renew their visas, passports, licences, car insurance, etc. If they respond in the affirmative, that document will automatically be renewed because we already have his/her documents which were submitted previously,” Bin Taliah said.

“Residents will get an SMS or a notification from the app or website to pay their electricity or water bills and by replying to the SMS with ‘yes’ or responding affirmatively to the notification, their bills will automatically get paid.

“This portal will not only offer government services, but also enable private sector entities such as insurance companies or car registration firms get onboard to offer a one-click service,” he added.

Two new platforms

Bin Taliah said they recently developed two platforms called ‘Usrati’ and ‘Basher’ as “new models of innovative government services”.

The Usrati platform provides a bundle of 12 proactive services from 10 government entities. It deals with marriage, family cohesion and promotes the concepts of sound parenting and childcare.

The Basher platform provides 14 services by 18 federal and local government entities. It promises a digital experience to explore the market, set up businesses, obtain business licences and supporting documents in simple steps. It allows investors to start a business immediately without any document submissions, and without visiting service centres.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai
• Abu Dhabi