ABU DHABI // The name of the Emirates ID card for non-UAE citizens will be changed to "Resident Identity Card" from February.
Current cards are labelled “Identity Card” for all UAE residents, including expatriates and citizens who are not Emirati. The technical and security specifications and features of the ID card will remain the same.
Those who are already in possession of Emirates ID cards do not need to replace them until they expire, or in conjunction with residency visa renewal procedures.
“There will be no changes to the UAE citizens’ ID cards,” a spokesman for the Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) said. However, he added that Eida is considering a design change to distinguish it from the new residents’ cards.
The authority is also considering a separate card for people with disabilities.
Eida clarified that changing the name of the ID cards for non-citizens was in line with the recommendations of the Federal National Council, which wanted to distinguish it from citizens’ identification.
Identification cards are a legal way to register the population of the country, using a unique personal number connected to the biological attributes of the individual, the authority said.
The identification card project is part of the country’s quest to develop and facilitate governmental services and provide necessary information about the demographics of the country.
