Abu Dhabi: About 6,200 UAE residents have not collected their ID cards after completing the registration process, a senior official told Gulf News on Sunday.
"Some cards have been lying with Empost since 2008 and all uncollected cards will be destroyed after a deadline [August 31] for security reasons," Dr Ali Al Khoury, Acting General Manager of Emirates Identity Authority (Eida), said.
Empost has been assigned to deliver the cards to the applicants since 2007.
Al Khoury said the cards could not be delivered because of various problems with contact numbers given by the applicants.
"Some applicants neither picked up the calls nor enquired about the cards later. Some people were even careless enough to give wrong contact numbers," the official explained.
Alerts sent
Earlier, the application form asked for only one contact number and the lack of an alternative number caused this problem, according to the official. "We have sorted out this issue in the new application form," he said.
SMS alerts have been sent, asking the applicants to collect the cards from Empost by July 31, the official said. He advised the applicants who have not collected their cards to contact the Empost call centre on 600 565555.
Empost will hand over the ‘uncollected cards' to Eida which will keep them until August 31, Al Khoury said.
Eida will make all efforts to give the cards to applicants who can contact the Eida call centre on 600 523432, he said. "If the applicants do not collect the cards from Eida by August 31, we will destroy them for security reasons," he explained.
"It is a valid document which cannot be kept here and there," the official said. "It seems these applicants completed their registration for namesake and just to fulfil a legal obligation. That's why they did not try to track their cards," Al Khoury said.
"Had they compulsorily needed the cards for any official transactions like accessing traffic department services, they would have followed up the card and collected it," he said.
New form: Two numbers mandatory
About 6,200 undelivered ID cards due to improper contact numbers have prompted the authority to make certain changes in its new application form.
The new application asks for three phone numbers and the applicants have to provide at least two numbers, Dr Ali Al Khoury said. Most of the people have more than one phone number, so it will not be a problem, the official said.
He said the previous application form asked for just one phone number which caused the problem. He requested applicants to take due care to give proper contact numbers while filling out the application forms.
Dates to collect cards
July 31 to collect from Empost
(SMS alert has already been sent to applicants)
August 31 to collect from Eida
(After this deadline cards will be destroyed for security reasons)
Call centre numbers
Contact Empost: 600 565555
Eida: 600 523432
