Dubai: flydubai and Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) have announced a partnership to activate a quick, easy and hassle-free service allowing travellers to collect their visas by email or mobile phone.
The new service will remove much of the hassle from the visa process, and flydubai will be the launch customer for a trial period of three months. The airline will offer M-visa at no additional charge to passengers. The trial will start on May 19.
Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, DNRD’s Director General, said: “The launch of our electronic visa service with flydubai highlights our commitment to making the visa process as easy as possible for the public. This new development is in line with the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in enabling DNRD to carry out its mission to serve the community and the public.”
The new service enables people to complete a transaction simply and easily in line with the strategy of the DNRD to provide the best services to all customers in the country and abroad through the use of advanced technology such as the Internet and mobile devices.
M -Visa will be used to inform customers immediately via e-mail and SMS when visas are ready, Al Merri said.
"The DNRD and flydubai will work together to ensure the travel agency staff abroad are aware of the latest developments in the visa procedure to avoid some of the problems and complications which arise from a lack of knowledge of the laws which apply in UAE."
Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai’s CEO, said: “We are delighted to work in partnership with the DNRD to offer this unprecedented service in Dubai. The visa process can be a lengthy one and a real hindrance to travel. flydubai and the DNRD have established this partnership to find a way of making the system easier, quicker and more reliable. We are very pleased to have been chosen as the launch customer by DNRD as this type of service highlights our commitment to making travel a little less complex, a little less stressful, and a little less expensive. I am confident it will be popular with our passengers,” he added.
When applying for entry permits, either by visiting DNRD offices or using online applications, customers will receive a secure entry visa with DNRD e-logo and e-signature delivered via SMS and email.
Upon arrival, immigration officers in Dubai airport will be able to retrieve the original visa either by scanning the barcode from the visitor's mobile phone or from a print out of the PDF.
