17,502 transactions on 'Day Without Service Center' at GDRFA Dubai

Dubai: More than 17,500 transactions were done online the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai on Thursday — during the smart initiative "A Day without Service Centres" for the first time.

A totlal 17,502 transactions were complete for both entry and residency permits at the government agency.

Major-General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, director-general of GDRFA-Dubai, said that they backed the initiative aimed to boost the use of government app and online services and reduce number of customers visiting services centre in Dubai.

GDRFA-Dubai processed 8,878 residency permits and 8,624 entry permits during that day, while 47 people requested services on their smart application.

"We worked together to ensure the success of the initiative, and make Dubai the first smart country worldwide. We courage our customers to move over to virtual and smart solutions and encourage them to use electronic payments too," Maj-Gen Al Merri said.

GDRFA-Dubai prepared laptops and tablets in their branches to encourage people to use smart services when they visited the centers last Thursday.

"Many customers liked the initiative and they were made aware of how to use smart services. It helped cut the time and effort," he said.

“We aim to have zero customers in our departments. We reduced the number of customers [visiting in person] so far by 90 per cent," Maj Gen Al Merri said.