Dubai brings in new paperless visa residency applications

The app-based system is intended to cut lengthy queues and physical paperwork

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

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

Under the first phase, people and organisations can check determine whether their residency application is valid, as well as renew their residencies or those of their spouse, children, or parents.

Until now, residents faced the prospect of travelling to Amer service centres dotted around the city.

More than 350 people have used the Dubai Now application to issue or renew residency visas since the launch of the service last month.

Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, director general of Smart Dubai, said the move is part of a paperless strategy 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 Dubai Now 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 added.

"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,” said Dr Bishr.

The service is operated in partnership with the immigration agency, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Services available on the app include issuance, renewal, amendment, and cancellation of residencies, in addition to amendment of status and transfer of sponsorship.

"All these services are now available on the Dubai Now application," said Maj Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, head of the authority.

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