Blog: Registering for the identity card

Gulf News's Megan Hirons registers for the identity card at the Al Rashidiya centre. She blogs about her experience.

2:44pm
Have a look at the photos I took at the registration office. That sums up my day at the registration centre. Fun huh? You be the judge.

12:20pm
I have successfully booked an appointment to register for the ID card on January 7, 2009 at 8:15am at which point there will be only three months left on my visa.

I wonder if I will have to go through the process again in April when it is time to renew.

I am leaving now, nearly three hours after arriving here. I have gotten through the whole newspaper, half a kakuro and chatted with people from America, India, the Philippines, the UK and Pakistan.

I am going to post a few photos soon. Watch this space.

12:16pm
My turn, at last! The guard has turned off the computer and turned it back on. I am waiting for it to reboot...

12:12pm
The woman before me is now booking her appointment but the computer has crashed again. There are two security guards keeping others from jumping the queue. There seems to be an awful lot of people who don't know where to go or what to do. And new people keep on arriving.

12:01pm
I have just been informed that I am now third in line for the machine, yay! However, the computer has crashed again and the latest user has to start again...

11:55am
I'm just sitting here now, reading the paper and waiting to use the appointment machine...

I am hungry but there's only a cola vending machine here. I can't leave since I am not sure if there is a shop nearby. Besides, I don't want to lose my spot to book an appointment.

11:34am
Yikes, the machine is crashing between users! Only one person has booked in the past 30 minutes.

10:59am
They are now letting us use the appointment machine to book an appointment in January. I have been told I won't be able to get registered for my card. I thought I was waiting to register, but I'm really waiting to book a time to come back.

Staff said they had closed the machine before because a fight broke out among people wanting to use it.

10:48am
The man at the desk says they are only taking 30 men and 30 women each day! He said the appointment machine is closed for the day and that I should go home!

I am going to try to talk to the manager. People who have been here for hours are upset too and talking to the security guard. He said he will restart the list. He is also sending people to use the machine one by one.


10:45am
I had a chat with an American guy who said he came in at 3am and lined up for his ticket. He has been to work, had breakfast and come back and still has not been called!

He thought that the doors would open at 6am to get a number but that they opened at around 8am instead. He said there was a mad rush to get in and get a number, with pushing and shoving involved.

10:33am
I am waiting at the main counter to talk to someone. The Filipinos next to me are saying that the list is no more. They are waiting, too. Many people are waiting to talk to the one man at the reception and there is no obvious line!

10:20am
Uh-oh. Someone has just come by to tell me that the list of names has been cancelled. I am going to check it out.

9:55am
It looks like there are two waiting rooms. One room with numbers. Those people were here as early as 5am! The other room is for people like me, whose names they included in the list.

9:50am
Another lady waiting has just been informed that if they took our names then we have an appointment. I feel lucky to have gotten in since they are turning others away now!

9:45am
I have just arrived at the registration centre. There's a long queue outside the door for the appointment machine, which is broken! I go to the counter and say I have an appointment, but I am told that the SMS I got is not an appointment. I'm not sure what to do.

I see a staff member taking down names. He sends me to the ladies' area and puts my name at the end of the list. I wait...

9:30am
I got a friend to drop me at the Emirates Identity Authority office in Al Rashidiya, since my car is in for service. Luckily, I got directions to the general area from a nice gentleman at the Rashidiya Post Office yesterday and then drove around last night looking for it, since there are no signs to it and the map given on the EIDA website says that the office is in Festival City, near the Coca-Cola offices, which it most definitely is not.

Thanks a lot for posting this blog. I think so many people are suffering in the exact same way. Though I have not yet gone to apply for my ID card, I know it is going to be a nightmare once it starts. The website is bad. I tried it several times with no use. It comes at one point and stops. It just stops responding. No matter how long you wait for it to do. Please keep it up and tell us what will happen on January 7 when you go to register.
Caroline
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 13:35

The ID card is now a nightmare for everyone because of the long lines and lack of enough forms.
Majid
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 13:10

Application forms are not available in so many post offices. We are trying to apply online but it is a disaster. What should we do?
Caroline Marcelino
Rashidiya,Dubai
Posted: November 17, 2008, 13:01

It is so hard to register online. I can't move past the front page.
Aayah
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 12:33

How are residents expected to comply with regulations when processes and system capability are not up to mark?
John
Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
Posted: November 17, 2008, 12:16

I have registered and got an appointment for today at the Rashidiya Centre. I arrived at 6am to find a line of more than 400 people who have arrived to collect tokens. It was extremely frustrating that even after being given a time, one is not sure whether he or she to make it to the final appointment. I left as the tokens run out. I do not know now how to get another appointment as all appointmnets till December are booked.
Samrat Ghosh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 12:16

One month ago I went to enquire about the ID card. At that time I was the only person there. The next day I went with my father and applied. Within one week I got the card from Empost.
Boby John
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 12:05

I tried to filll the form online so many times, but it just won't work.
Suhaib Ahmad Khan
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 11:25

The other day I spent 2 hours to find the office; I followed the website map and it was no help. I must have asked 25 people in that area. No one knew where it is.
Aby
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 11:23

The location map on the website is totally wrong. Also, no one answered the phone at theAl Rashidiya centre.
Nazir
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 11:14

There has to be some way to make this process faster.
Regitha
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 10:48

Last Thursday, at 6pm, I was finally able to register online after three weeks of daily failing tries.Now, I guess another three weeks is needed just to get an appointment.
Osama
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 10:30

Wow, you are a hero for posting this!
Ralph
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 17, 2008, 10:17