Emirates ID Should be Carried by Indian Expats to Avoid Airport Delays

The UAE no longer requires visa stamps on passports for residents, therefore Indian expats going on holiday are encouraged to bring their new Emirates IDs to avoid problems at airports.

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security stated in a circular published in April earlier this year, that the Emirates ID has taken the role of the visa stickers stamped on passports and is now the official document used by UAE citizens to verify their residency.

الهيئة الاتحادية للهوية والجنسية والجمارك وأمن المنافذ : إلغاء العمل بـ "قسيمة الإقامة" والاعتداد ببطاقة "هوية المقيم" بديلا اعتبارا من يوم الإثنين القادم الموافق 11 أبريل #وام pic.twitter.com/ij2CVxaHk4

— وكالة أنباء الإمارات (@wamnews) April 5, 2022

However, according to the experience of some expats who recently traveled, failure to bring the actual Emirates ID resulted in issues at airports in India.

As per reports by Khaleej Times, an expat, Nita Nandi who traveled to Delhi with her son experienced difficulties at the airport without her son's original Emirates ID. “My son’s visa expired when I was in Delhi. But we had started processing the new visa well within the time before we left the UAE. However, I was stopped at the immigration in Delhi because I only had a picture of the new Emirates ID that my house help sent later via WhatsApp. I didn’t have the original one as it had arrived much after we had left for India, through courier,” Nandi said. 

“I was stopped at the airline’s check-in counter, and when I explained the situation, they asked me to wait. The wait somehow lasted for over an hour, as the airline checked with the authorities and sought their approvals to allow us to board,” added Nandi. 

Following that, the mother and child were taken to the Delhi airport's immigration office. Nandi had to sign a disclaimer from the airline stating that they will not be held liable should her son be brought back to India from the UAE.

Nandi also stated, “The EID acts like our visa for re-entry to the country and is as important a document as the passport. Upon arrival in the UAE, I faced absolutely no issues as their systems reflected the updated status of my son’s visa. So, thankfully everything was smooth on this front." 

“I understand that it’s part of their protocol, but after this experience, I want to reiterate the importance of carrying the original Emirates ID while traveling abroad, especially since the new rule has kicked in," Nandi told Khaleej Times.

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