DUBAI // Half a million Emiratis and expatriate professionals have only two months to obtain a national ID card or they will lose access to health care and other government-related services, the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) disclosed yesterday.
The card will contain face and fingerprint scans and personal information, including passport and driving licence details, address, residency status and qualifications. Registering for it costs Dh100 (US$27) for adults and Dh50 for children.
Between 300,000 and 400,000 expatriate professionals across the UAE, including doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers, are required to register for their biometric identity card by Dec 31 - not within two years, as was previously announced. In another change, all children need an ID card, not just those above 15.
There are also 200,000 Emiratis, out of about 835,000, who have yet to register for the programme and must do so by Dec 31. From Jan 1 onward, any Emirati citizen or expatriate deemed to have a "white-collar" profession by the EIDA who does not have a card will be denied access to any business involving a government department. That means they will be unable to visit a doctor, register a mobile phone, open a bank account, enrol their child in school or buy or rent property.
Professional Emiratis began registering for the cards in January with their deadline to obtain one passing months ago. If they are not registered by Jan 1, they will face fines of up to Dh1,000. Expatriates will not face fines until 2010.
Expatriates have also been signing up for the cards for months now. But news that they only had two months - not two years - to obtain one came as a shock to some, who wondered why they were not given more notice.
"The concept is good, but that is an incredibly short amount of time to get people to register," said Christopher Frost, an oil and gas technician from Australia.
"I had only heard this will be done in the future and was not expecting it to be so soon. And how are they going to issue identification cards to those who work on oil rigs and other off-shore facilities?"
Salama Taha, a school teacher and mother of five who is originally from Palestine, was worried about the cost of registering her family, and said she had thought the scheme only applied to Emiratis.
"I believe they have good reasons for implementing this, but where do I go and register?" she asked.
"If the deadline is January, it is too short notice to get my five children registered when I have to worry about work, schooling and holidays."
The deadline was brought forward so that any problems with the system could be ironed out before the massive task of registering the estimated three million people designated as "blue collar" gets under way next year, said Thamer Rashed al Qasemi, the planning director of the project at EIDA.
Other than giving examples of professions that have been classified as white collar, Mr Qasemi could not explain how the categories have been defined. And although it has taken eight months to process more than 600,000 Emiratis and a small number of expatriates, he insisted the 28 EIDA centres were equipped to process half a million people in the next 10 weeks.
"Looking at the numbers that we have registered and our capabilities, we are able to register the categories we have called upon now," he said. "In order for the ID card to be active and services activated, you need to have a good number of people registered. We are capable of handling this amount of people."
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
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SPECS
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The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
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The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
HAJJAN
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