Expatriates urged to register with embassies

Abu Dhabi: As new and returning expatriates arrive in the UAE, embassies call on residents to register with them.

While many expatriates have avoided registering, embassies reaffirm that registration is merely incase of personal emergencies and not to keep tabs on their nationals living here.

"Registering with the US embassy takes little time. Through the United States Embassy, American citizens can subscribe to a list of services to receive warden messages such as voters' registration information. All that's required is a name and mail address," a spokesperson from the United States Embassy told Gulf News.

Knowledge

Registration often takes minutes to do and is quick. Embassies recommend that even those travelling for a brief period should register with their embassies.

Many travellers depend on their own family's knowledge of their whereabouts, but embassy officials say this may not be enough in many cases.

"The embassy can act as a liaison between the family and you over here," the Polish Second Secretary, Rafal Pawlak, told Gulf News.

"The main point is the person's security. But we also want to create an E-community of Polish citizens, informing them of events and party or functions," Pawlak said. For the Polish Embassy to encourage its 1,500-member community to register may be a lesser challenge than the larger communities.

For the larger expatriate communities in the UAE, like the Indian and Pakistani, there is no registration facility, but members of the communities are encouraged to send their families emergency contact and embassy information.

Some expatriates have avoided registering mainly out of fear that the embassy would send information home on working overseas therefore they would be subjected to the same taxes as back home.

For example, the Canadian registration service online clearly states that information provided is held under Canada's stringent Privacy Act, relieving the fears of passing on the information to other departments.

Most consular services offer information through emails ranging from travel warnings to community events.

Click or dial: How to get in touch