Self-service kiosks to aid visa enquiries in Dubai

Dubai: The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) is planning to set up a series of self-service kiosks to facilitate visa enquiries at shopping malls and other public places.

The self-service kiosks will allow residents to check the status of their visas and print out their resident/visit visa and visa extensions for just Dh70.

The machines will also allow UAE nationals to apply for passport renewal services without visiting DNRD offices. Access to the machine can be obtained through insertion of e-Gate or national identity cards.

The new feature-packed kiosks will be an improvement over machines showcased at last year's Gitex and will go on display when the latest edition of the event is launched today.

Lieutenant Amer Al Muhairi, who is in charge of the project at DNRD, told Gulf News: "In the new version of the kiosks, the mechanism of payment has changed as users can now pay the fees in bulk. Also, visitors to Dubai from 33 countries can renew their entry permits without visiting DNRD."

Payment of fines

Al Muhairi said the kiosks will also allow people to print out labour permits and pay fines for expired residence visas.

The DNRD has asked vendors to modify the kiosk design to cater to people with special needs.

The self-service kiosk is of particular use to people who work long hours. They will no longer have to take leave of absence from their offices to complete visa-related paperwork but can do so at leisure or while shopping or spending time with their families at shopping centres.

Emiratis will also have an option to renew their passports instantly through the kiosks.

The services, however, will only be available to those who have UAE identification cards.

The kiosks will initially be stationed at the main building of the DNRD and later at Al Tawar Centre and Ministry of Labour offices.

Those applying for entry visas for relatives, friends or employees headed to Dubai will now be able to check the application status in real time and obtain print-outs of documents.

Like any ATM machine, the kiosk will operate 24 hours and employ fingerprint and e-gate authentication.

Customer service

Al Muhairi said, "The aim of this technology is to encourage and sustain self-service, the beneficiaries include companies, individuals, sponsors and public relation officers.

The kiosk is provided with an alarm system and a camera.

It also allows users to call DNRD customer service staff for any inquiries or to resolve a problem they may be encountering.

How it works

- The kiosk has a touch screen offering three options: individual log-in, corporate log-in and general information

- When you click on individual log-in, the kiosk requests you to slot in your e-Gate card for identification

- After taking out the e-Gate card the kiosk requests a fingerprint scan

- Following authentication, four options pop up — visa, residency, statistics and passport

- Visa option gives you three choices: enquiry, printing and extension stickers.

- Residency option gives you two choices: enquiry and printing

- Passport option gives only one choice: passport renewal, for Emiratis