UAE's ICP rolls out 15 ‘Zero Bureaucracy’ initiatives to streamline services

Abu Dhabi: The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has launched 15 development projects as part of the second phase of the “Zero Bureaucracy” programme, aiming to simplify procedures, reduce paperwork, and provide both customers and staff with faster, more digital experiences across all core services.

ICP announced the commencement of implementation of 15 pioneering projects under the second cycle of the Zero Bureaucracy programme to eliminate red tape across its service ecosystem and deliver fast, smart services to customers of all categories, as well as to ICP employees.

Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director-General of ICP, stated: “As part of its plan to meet the requirements of the second cycle of the Zero Bureaucracy programme, the Authority has successfully implemented 15 diverse projects to enhance the customer journey and enable access to services in the shortest possible time, eliminate duplication of procedures and services, and deploy artificial intelligence technologies. This is in line with ICP’s new strategic direction of moving from operational excellence to proactive leadership, and from ‘fragmented services’ to ‘integrated packages’, and from a ‘waiting model’ to a ‘proactive model’.”

He explained that the integrated-package approach includes services delivered by ICP independently, such as consolidating all services related to Emirati or resident families into a single package, as well as services delivered in cooperation with federal and local government entities and the private sector through electronic integration. This enables the automatic retrieval and reuse of customer data, simplifies the customer journey across entities, supports inter-agency operations, and raises performance and productivity levels.

Major General Al Khaili added that the projects are designed to reduce repetitive procedures, accelerate access to services, and increase reliance on artificial intelligence tools. ICP seeks to move from routine operational excellence to proactive leadership, with a clear focus on delivering integrated and anticipatory services.

Previously separate services are now bundled into unified journeys, allowing customers to complete multiple interrelated steps through a single, simplified process.

ICP stated that phase-two projects under the Zero Bureaucracy programme include the UAEKYC facial recognition project for entities, the proactive UAE passport system, the national government enablement and data system, and the “Taqdeer” package for senior citizens and people of determination benefiting from the social support programme, in cooperation with the Ministry of Community Development.

Other initiatives include the renewal of passports and ID cards for citizens through a single integrated transaction, a proactive resident family services package linked to life events, and the proactive update of family data – including civil events such as marriage and divorce – in partnership with the Ministry of Justice. These steps ensure records are kept up to date without the need for repeated customer visits or manual submissions.

Additional projects supporting the Zero Bureaucracy programme include the single-window project for land ports (WAM Port), investor journey services, tourist visa issuance services supported by a digital health-insurance system for visitors, and smart e-gates at the Al Ghuwaifat land border crossing – all aimed at simplifying travel and border procedures.

Further systems include a smart service-fee refund system, an integrated smart customs system, a recruitment package for domestic workers, and a smart travel project. Collectively, these initiatives aim to reduce processing times, improve data accuracy, and minimise manual intervention in border, residency, and customs operations.

Major General Al Khaili confirmed that these development projects have significantly reduced bureaucracy for citizens, residents, business owners, and investors by simplifying the issuance and renewal of documents, lowering rejection and error rates through unified verification, consolidating procedures into a single application, and managing medical examinations, biometric capture, and data retrieval electronically.

According to ICP, smart integration among entities helps reduce operational costs, limit human effort, and enhance customer satisfaction and quality of life. The projects target a wide range of beneficiaries, including visitors and domestic workers, and cover sectors such as investment, tourism, legislation, employment, family affairs, civil status, residency, identity services, and border crossings, while also supporting the values of social responsibility.

ICP stressed that these efforts reflect the humanitarian and cultural identity of the UAE by providing services automatically to social-support beneficiaries without the need to submit applications, and by delivering services directly to individuals in their homes. These measures aim to strengthen the UAE’s national competitiveness in government service indicators while maintaining a seamless and efficient experience for all customer segments.

In conclusion, Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili reaffirmed that these projects are instrumental in eliminating bureaucracy across ICP’s service ecosystem for citizens, residents, entrepreneurs, and investors, enhancing the UAE’s leadership and competitiveness in government service benchmarks through shorter issuance and renewal journeys, reduced errors via unified verification and proactive processing, single-application models, electronic data retrieval, medical checks and biometrics, fast and smart services based on inter-agency digital integration, lower operational costs, reduced human effort, and, ultimately, higher customer satisfaction and improved quality of life.