UAE's Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice has enhanced several services provided by the Federal Public Prosecution, with the most significant being the removal of travel bans. Image Credit: Supplied

Abu Dhabi: The lifting of travel bans in the UAE is now an automatic process, meaning eligible individuals no longer need to request it. Previously, the process to remove a travel ban was involved multiple steps, but now it happens instantly and requires no paperwork.

This is an outcome of the country’s larger Zero Government Bureaucracy programme, which aims to simplify or eliminate unnecessary government procedures. As part of this initiative, the Ministry of Justice has enhanced several services provided by the Federal Public Prosecution, with the most significant being the removal of travel bans.

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The new mechanism has reduced the steps required for this service from nine to zero, eliminated the need for any documents, and shortened the processing time from one working day to zero, achieving a zeroing rate of 100 per cent, according to the Ministry.

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“The new updates that came to the [lifting of travel ban] service will have an important role in simplifying and reducing government procedures and cancelling unnecessary procedures and requirements, stressing that it is a new stage for government work in the UAE,” the Ministry said on X.

Zero Bureaucracy programme

The Zero Bureaucracy programme aims to simplify and streamline government procedures by removing unnecessary steps and requirements. Ministries and government agencies have been instructed to immediately implement the programme by eliminating at least 2,000 government procedures, reducing the time required for procedures by at least 50 per cent, and removing all unnecessary conditions and requirements within one year.

The results will be evaluated, and the best achievements will be celebrated by the end of 2024. The programme represents a national model for achieving the simplest, fastest, easiest, and most efficient government procedures. Through this initiative, the UAE government aims to make a significant and exceptional shift in government operations, enhancing the effectiveness of procedures issued by ministries and federal entities, and bolstering the UAE’s leadership and global competitiveness in government efficiency and the absence of bureaucracy.