Now renew your visa, Emirates ID via an app

dubai — You can now renew your Emirates ID and residence visa online — even if you are outside the UAE.

All other visa procedures, including applying for the visit and residence visas of family members and staff, may also be done anytime, anywhere, through the ICA UAE smart application.

Colonel Arif Al Shamsi, directorgeneral of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Sharjah, said all residents have to do is fill out the form, submit the requirements and pay the necessary fees online.

Visa renewal done through the smart process takes just one to three days upon the submission of the application, and the new Emirates ID will be delivered in 15 days, another official told Khaleej

Lt Mayed Ali Juma, director for a visa department, said the waiting period can even be cut down to seven hours or one day, if the applicants opt for the expedited service that comes with an additional fee.

“Availing of these online services allow companies and families to save up to Dh100 for each application, the amount that they used to spend on the fees charged by typing centres,” Lt Juma said.

To date, 800,000 residents have already used the smart service, he added.

Through the app, applicants can track the status of their visas and clarify their concerns via the chat feature linked to a customer service representative.

“The chatrooms also cater to the deaf and the blind and can process complaints, suggestions and other enquiries,” the official said.

For companies and sponsors applying for the visas of their staff who are outside the country, procedures are completed within a week.

People on a three-month visit visa who no longer have to leave the country to extend their visas may also apply for the renewal online, at a fee of Dh500. However, they should allot enough time for processing and apply a few days before their visa expires.

To ensure the success of the application, all requirements must be submitted properly, including a clear scanned copy of the Emirates ID and a valid passport, among others.

For procedures where a medical fitness test is required, Lt Juma said that since the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship is linked with the health ministry’s centres, test results are synced seamlessly. Residents have availed of the online visa service