Now, online appointment for Pak passport, ID card renewal

Dubai - Samar Javed, acting consul-general of Pakistan said on Sunday that the appointment system will cut the waiting times for community members.

The system shows a waiting time of one-minute each between the four-step process to put in the application.

Hoping to cut waiting times and tackle space constraints, the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai has launched an online appointment system for passport and identity card renewals.

The system, that saw a soft launch on July 29, will be fully functional for Pakistanis residing in Dubai and the Northern Emirates starting today. A similar system is already operational for those residing in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Samar Javed, acting consul-general of Pakistan said on Sunday that the appointment system will cut the waiting times for community members. The system shows a waiting time of one-minute each between the four-step process to put in the application.

"The system will help streamline appointments for passport and identity card renewals as well as make it easy for foreign nationals applying for a Pakistani visa," he said. The system, however, does not facilitate online payments which will only be done at the consulate premises.

People can also access the Pakistan Consulate website and see the documents they are required to carry beforehand, he said.

The earlier walk-in system will, however, continue until the present online system is fully functional in another six months. An estimated 1,500 to 1,800 people use these three services daily at the consulate alone. "We have been concerned because people have had to line-up outside the consulate for hours due to space constraints and lack of parking in the area which was also causing traffic congestions," he explained.

He said those who take an appointment should come at least 15 minutes prior to the time they have chosen for the service they want.\

How to book an appointment

Since a big chunk of Pakistani expatriates in the UAE are blue-collar workers who may not have access to the online system, the CG advised them to visit the Pakistan Association in Dubai and Pakistan Social Centre in Sharjah for help.

To meet space constraints at the consulate, the consul said the long pending building expansion plans had taken a step forward. "The plan is to reduce the adjoining space that is the CG residence and expand the consulate," said Samar. The Pakistan MoFA has appointed a consultant for this project.

The consulate has also revised its openings timings to 8am to 2pm from the earlier 7am to 1pm. The website has been created by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and can be accessed at www.mofa.gov.pk/dubai or www.pakistanconsulate.ae

What residents say

The systems should hopefully cut waiting times and reduce the current chaos at the Pakistan Consulate, opine Pakistani residents in Dubai.

"Anytime a technology is used to streamline and automate a process it has benefits," said Zahid Altaf. "This online appointment system will help a large number of Pakistanis applying for different services in the consulate. This will also eliminate long queues," added. "To cater to the blue collar workers, the consulate should run a telephonic appointment system in parallel."

Athar Ali Khan said it was a much needed step forward. "Previously, it was impossible to reach the consulate even by phone. With the system online, applicants will save hours and even days worth of time."

According to Noman Asfar Ali, less time will be wasted waiting in lines. "Coming to the consulate meant a waste of two to three hours. We hope this will be resolved now."

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Pakistan