Dubai Residents and visitors to Dubai must supply accurate and full details when applying for or renewing visas, a senior official from the Ministry of the Interior said on Sunday.
Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), said the details were needed so that the department's staff could communicate with the applicants.
"eDNRD services [the department's electronic services, or 'e-services'] is a fully integrated naturalisation and residency processing system designed to minimise the time it takes to manage applications and other DNRD transactions," Al Merri said.
"As part of the eDNRD services we have begun sending text messages to the mobile phones of residents and visitors to remind them that their visas are ready and on what date they will expire so they do not overstay here," he said.
"Everyone must provide the DNRD with accurate contact details so that they will receive the SMS and can make the best use of the eDNRD services," Al Merri said.
He said that the DNRD was one of the pioneers in adopting various e-services aimed at speeding up and facilitating transactions so that customers' time and effort is saved, while reducing waiting time at the department's counters.
"Customers now prefer the e-services, which makes life easier for them and for us," he said.
Online fast track The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department's web site is accessible at www.ednrd.ae. On the site, applicants can log in, select the type of visa for which they wish to apply, fill out a form, and print it out. - B.A.J.
