Dubai goes paperless with app for residents’ visa applications

Dubai residents can now apply for visas without having to queue at a government service centre.

A new feature on the DubaiNow app or website allows residence visa applications to be submitted online, taking 30 minutes to two working days for approval.

Under the first phase, people can check if their residency application is valid. The can also renew their residency or those of a spouse, children or parents.

Until now, residents faced the prospect of travelling to one of the many Amer service centres located across the city.

More than 350 people used the DubaiNow app to issue or renew residence visas since the launch of the service last month.

Dr Aisha bin Bishr, director general of Smart Dubai, said the move was part of a paperless strategy introduced by the Dubai government, which aims to save more than one billion pages of paper every year.

“Developing the bundle of government services offered through the DubaiNow app is in line with the Dubai Paperless Strategy 2021, through which Dubai government is looking to digitise all internal and external government transactions,” she said.

It will also make people’s lives easier, saving them time and effort, she said.

“It is a notable new addition to the bundle of services we offer through the app, where our objective has always been to positively affect people’s lives in the emirate,” Dr Bishr said.

The service is operated in partnership with the immigration agency, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. Services available on the app include the issuance, renewal, amendment and cancellation of residencies, as well as the amendment of status and transfer of sponsorship.

“All these services are now available on the DubaiNow application,” said Maj Gen Mohammed Al Marri, head of the authority.

The app guides users through the steps they need to complete, such as getting medical tests and Emirates IDs, in addition to sending push notifications to alert users when residency renewal dates are approaching.

Services available on the app include the issuance, renewal, amendment and cancellation of residence visas