Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
A medical staff member prepares the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Tudor Ranch in Mecca, California. Image Credit: AP

Dubai: How can you get a Medical Record Number (MRN) if you want to book an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine? A Gulf News reader who was facing troubles getting the online appointment wrote in to Gulf News with the query.

He said: “I recently tried to book an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine with Dubai Health Authority (DHA) for my daughter. For it, I had to create a Medical Record Number (MRN). While doing this, the one-time password (OTP) was going to a different mobile number, which once belonged to me but was no longer valid. This is the number on the Emirates ID system and I don’t know how to sort this problem out. Can you please provide details on how this issue can be sorted?”

Gulf News raised the query with Dubai Health Authority, who provided the following statement:

“The OTP will be sent to the mobile number registered on the Emirates ID database, which is the system of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA). If the OTP is forwarded to a different mobile then please get it corrected through ICA.”

As published by Gulf News earlier, the phone number associated with your Emirates ID can be changed through the online service provided by ICA.

To access the service, click here.

You would then need to carefully follow these steps:

Step 1: Enter details of your request

You will be required to fill in the following details:

• Current Nationality – Select your nationality from a dropdown menu.

• Identity Number – this is the Emirates ID number, printed on the front of the card.

• File Number – The file number is printed on your residence visa, which is stamped in your passport. While filling out the form, you will see the file number slots contain the following sections: department; year; service; sequence.

o Under the first category, ‘Department’, you would need to fill in the three digit code that your file number starts with. For example, 101, 201, 301 etc.

o Under ‘Year’, fill in the following four digits of your file number. This is the year that your visa was first issued.

o Under ‘Service’, fill in the first digit of the last part of your file number.

o Under ‘Sequence’ fill in the remaining digits.

If you are confused about the file number, or any other aspect of the visa page on your passport, you can read our detailed guide on decoding what each element means, here.

• Name (English) – Fill in your name exactly like it is printed on your Emirates ID.

• Name (Arabic) – The system will automatically generate the Arabic version of your name.

• Passport No. – Enter your passport number here.

• Date of Birth – select the exact date from the calendar meu.

• Last Entry Date – this should be the last entry stamp on your passport, for when you entered the borders of the UAE.

• Email – provide your email address here.

• Check the box for your current mobile number, as registered with ICA.

• Enter the new mobile number. You will then receive a one-time password on the new number, which you need to enter into the form.

• Next, add your address details.

• Select the captcha verification and proceed.

Step 2: Review application

The system will then provide the updated details to you, which you need to verify. If you wish to make any changes, you can return to Step 1 to do so. Once you have confirmed the details, proceed to the final step.

Step 3: Make the payment

You will then be redirected to a payment portal, where you would need to make the online payment for the e-service. Currently, the complete charge for updating your details is Dh52.10.

Cost: Dh52.10

Once you have made the payment, you will be redirected to the ICA website, where you will receive a notification informing you that the request has been successfully made and your details updated.