The UAE News report: The UAE government in a remarkable decision has announced that expatriates in the country will no longer require residency visas on their passports.

This means that UAE residents will no longer need to stamp their residency visas on their passports. The residence visa stamp is applied as a sticker on the holder’s passport once he or she completes residency procedures. The stamp has information such as the sponsor details, date of issue and expiry date, along with residency file number.

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICA) has issued a circular to the General Civil Aviation Authority stating that residency stickers will no longer be issued for expatriates and that their ID cards will be used as a proof of their valid UAE residency, effective from Monday, April 11.

The ICA has affirmed that a decision to cancel the residency stickers affixed to residents’ passports was issued by the ICA in implementation of the wise leadership’s directives upgrading services for the ultimate goal of achieving customer happiness.

The new procedures will be circulated to airlines to enable them to verify the validity of residences via the Early Inquiry Centre by checking passport number and Emirati ID card, which contains residency information.

Residency visa is a sticker stamped on to expatriates’ passports after they undergo a medical test. It’s issued for two-, three-, five or 10-year periods, depending on the visa a resident has.

The authority said that the ICA smart application provides the possibility of obtaining an electronic copy of the ID upon submitting the issuance or renewal request, adding that the new generation of the Emirates ID card issued to foreigners residing in the country will include all details mentioned previously in the residency stamp, including personal and professional data, the issuer and other readable and non-readable data on the face of the card.

Major General Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Acting Director General for Foreigners Affairs and Ports at ICA, said that the previous form of residency stamps will only be available online via the authority’s smart application, in a step aimed at enhancing transitional flexibility towards using the identity card as an alternative.

He clarified that the authority has already coordinated with stakeholders in the aviation sector to enable holders of valid residency visas who are outside the country to enter the country as well as visitors by verifying their identity through a passport reader available at the platforms of airliners.