Dubai: Although the Ministry of Interior has made it mandatory for all residents in four Northern emirates to have an ID card from November 22, 2009, a gulfnews.com poll revealed that more than half its respondents have still not applied for a card.

Around 52 per cent of voters, or 1620 viewers said they had not yet applied for an ID card, while 38 per cent already had it. The remaining 10 per cent applied for one but are waiting to receive it. So far, 3071 viewers have taken part in the poll

The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) is opening new channels of registration to make the process easier as part of a new strategy for 2010.