Dubai Courts has made it mandatory for all UAE nationals to present their Emirates Identity Card to avail of services and conduct transactions that require ID proof.

The new policy will take effect from today (Wednesday, April 1, 2009), in compliance with Federal Law No 9 of 2006 concerning the Population Register and Identity Card, said a new directive from the Dubai Court.

The new policy is aimed at boosting public confidence in judicial system and help in smooth gradual implementation of ID system in all government services.

With this move, Dubai Courts has become the first governmental department in the emirate to co-operate with the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) in implementing the Emirates ID initiative, providing support to accomplish EIDA's objectives in the first stage of deployment of the identity card.

Dubai Courts' new policy requiring the Emirates ID Card in official transactions will also help in identifying areas that need improvement, overcoming challenges, and studying possibilities to expand and develop other services related to the Emirates ID Card.

The Emirates ID Card will play an active role in facilitating governmental services, while providing the required information that will support organisations from other sectors in the country to improve their decision-making, strategic planning and the allocation of human resources.

Dubai Courts has also revealed that the ID Card will help boost efficiency, reliability and accuracy in delivering legal services.

Furthermore, utilising the Emirates ID Card will dramatically minimise the time needed to accomplish manual processes such as data entry from up to 10 minutes to just seven seconds.

Dr. Ahmed Saeed Bin Hazeem, Dubai Courts director general dubbed it as a significant move since it supports the strategic goals and enhances the public's confidence in the judicial system.

'It also raises the level of performance of Dubai Courts as it automates several processes, allowing us to provide judicial services faster and more effectively,' Bin Hazeem pointed out.

With its positive impact on our operations, we remain committed to support EIDA’s efforts in promoting the Emirates ID Card as a universal identity card in the UAE and as a tool to strengthen national identity,' he added.

Darwish Ahmed Al Zarooni, EIDA director-general said Dubai Courts was the first governmental body to implement the compulsory use of the Emirates ID Card.

'We hope that the success achieved by Dubai Courts as a pioneer in implementing this initiative will encourage other governmental entities to adopt similar policies,” he commented.

Abdulrahim Ahmad Al-Mudhareb, manager of IT Department, Dubai Courts said: “The trial implementation of the Emirates ID Card as a requirement to avail of judicial services and procedures at Dubai Courts has been warmly received by the public because it has essentially resulted in faster and more efficient delivery of services.

'This achievement has pushed us to pursue and further develop our e-Services at Dubai Courts,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service