Smart ID Cards For Every Resident

Iris scans will be taken from both eyes as part of security enhancements to the forthcoming national ID card, which will eventually be required for the five million expatriates and citizens in the country, a senior official said.

Mohammad Masoud Al Mazroui, Director of Population Register Department at the Emirates National Identity Authority (EIDA), said it will function as an all-in-one card that will replace labour, residency and health cards. It will also act as an e-gate, ATM card and an e-passport when crossing into other GCC countries.

To combat fraud, the card will have a three-factor authentication – password, smart card and biometrics, a fingerprint or iris scan.

“It's mandatory for everyone in the UAE. We will introduce two biometrics - fingerprint and iris scan. Fingerprints don't work with some labourers who have rough hands,'' explained Al Mazroui.

Iris scans will also work with old people who have lost the grooves on their fingers due to age, he said.

The ID project, first introduced in June 2005 among UAE nationals, will be introduced to non-citizens in the UAE from mid-2007.

The card will have two 64-kilobyte chips (most smart card-based national ID system only have one chip) to store information as well as overt and covert anti-fraud features.

The mass enrolment of the national ID system will start by the middle of 2007 through 14 registration centres across the country. These will be increased to 35 next year.

For damaged or lost cards, there will be 14 card renewal centres and replacements across the country, said Al Mazroui.

Home delivery service of smart IDs will start next month, he said.

“This system was introduced to help enhance homeland security, minimise identity theft, improve access and delivery of public service, develop a national population database and help decision makers,'' Al Mazroui told a panel of experts at the recent two-day Identity Summit in Dubai.

“It's designed to get rid of these dozen or so cards in my wallet I have now,'' said Al Mazroui.

“This is one of the most ambitious projects of its kind in the world as it uses dual smart chips, instead of just one.'' said Alan Brill, founder of the US-based Kroll security agency and a expert on computer fraud.

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