Dubai residents face fines as ID deadline approaches

Residents living in Dubai have only a few days left to apply for the national ID card or face a daily fine of 20 AED ($5.45), UAE daily Gulf News reported on Sunday.

The fines will be imposed on anyone who fails to register with the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) by the end of May 31.

EIDA has seen a 140% increase in the number of applications in the last three weeks, as expats clamber to avoid paying up to 1,000 AED in fines, the newspaper added.

The authority has sent approximately 24,000 text messages reminding people about the impending deadline and the fines that follow.

EIDA received 457,536 applications across the UAE in the first three weeks of May this year. That’s compared to 191,554 across the same period last year.