UAE residents risk losing passports in ID rush

Dubai: Residents are risking loss of passports and identity theft at busy typing centres in the rush to meet the May 31 deadline for Emirates ID registration.

"In all events, don't leave your passport at the typing centre to avoid possible loss," warns Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) on its website. However, many private centres authorised by the UAE government to fill in ID applications, refuse service unless residents hand in their passports, which have to be digitally scanned.

Receiving passports in advance of processing applications allows typing centres to add more clients to their list and work at their own pace later on - besides making more money as they charge Dh30 per application.

However, holding on to passports - for several days in many cases - means longer waiting lines for applicants already pressed for time under the looming deadline. The practice is also against the rules of Eida, which issues the ID card.

Residents complained virtually all typing centres in crowded neighbourhoods of Dubai and Sharjah demand they part with their passports.

During a random sweep this week, XPRESS found dozens of passports lying around haphazardly at typing centres in Safa, Satwa and Karama.

A worker at a typist near Mazaya Centre said on Sunday: "We've run out of space to keep passports so we're not taking any more for now. There's no place left to hide them if [Eida] inspectors drop in."

He suggested applicants make a ‘booking' the following day by submitting their passports before noon, which they would not see again for three days - the time it would take for the application to be completed. "Of course I cannot give you a receipt for the passport, that's illegal."

Another typist in Karama who had no applicants present in person at his office, scoffed when asked to process an application on the spot. "Get in line - you want to see the line?" he laughed as he pulled out a drawer crammed with passports.

"I'm getting non-stop calls from applicants asking ‘Is it done yet? Is it done yet?' The best I can do for you is take your passport now and call you tonight to let you know how long it'll take."

In Sharjah, a Russian applicant who ran out of patience while waiting for his application to go through was seen quarrelling with a typist who refused to return his passport in Al Taawun area.

"I cannot give back your passport now, Just wait, I'm busy," the typist said. One applicant said on condition of anonymity: "I had to give my passport to the typing centre, what else can I do? They say, ‘if you don't like it, you can find another place.' I give up, there's no time left."

Dubai expatriates whose visas expire after 2012 will be fined Dh20 per day (up to Dh1,000 maximum) if they fail to register for their Emirates ID card by May 31.

Eida adds on its website that "residents of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, with residencies expiring in 2012, will be required to enrol for the ID card along with renewing their residencies".

Earlier deadlines, which were eventually extended, had seen tempers fray at overrun typing centres. No grace period has been announced for current deadlines in place.

Details of the ID procedures are available online at eida.gov.a

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Problems at outsourced Indian passports, visa centres|BLS International sharjah|BLS International Dubai|BLS International abudhabhi|

Dubai / Abu Dhabi: Teething problems have hit the newly outsourced Indian passport and visa service centres, expected to cater to around 300,000 applicants in a year, Gulf News has learnt.
Many residents who had to wait for hours complained about the poor quality of service, such as delays and ignorance of the staff. When contacted, the two Indian diplomatic missions said that the delays were mainly due to technical glitches and that the issue was being sorted out.
On March 16, the Indian diplomatic missions announced that the management of the Indian Passport and Visa Service Centres, which has been under Empost since 2009, would go to a new agency BLS International.
BLS started operations on April 6. They handle the collection and dispatch services of Indian passport and visa applications and are in charge of answering all queries related to their service through their number 04-3594000.
Standard
"The services rendered by BLS International for the renewal of passports and other services is not up to the standards," Hariette D'Cunha, a resident who went to the BLS centre in Abu Dhabi two days ago for passport renewal, said.
Empost had been providing good services without any hassles, she said. "They seem to be inexperienced and unable to manage the services."
D'Cunha said that she reached the centre at 6pm on Tuesday only to be turned away since there were already too many people waiting. The next day her family returned and had to wait from 2pm until 9.30pm, she said.
M.K. Lokesh, the Indian Ambassador, told Gulf News that the Embassy was working with BLS International to sort out the problems.
"About 90 per cent of the problems related to the services have already been sorted out," he said. The ambassador said the visa issuance has been going smoothly. "There are some teething problems related to the passport services but we are making all efforts to sort them out soon," Lokesh said.
"There were about a hundred people standing outside the centre since morning when I visited the centre. ... the staff at the centre was clueless," said Mahmoud, a resident who had gone to the Bur Dubai centre.
Data upload: Official explains glitch
An Indian embassy official said that the glitch was related to difficulties in uploading some data fields into the system. "It will also take some time for the staff to become well-versed in dealing with the rush," the official said. Despite repeated attempts, BLS officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Compared to Empost, which was the previous service provider, BLS is offering the services at a 25 per cent reduced rate. In addition to the passport fee, the service charge for passports have been reduced to Dh9 from Dh12 and for the visa to Dh37.50 from Dh50.
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