All residents of the country ordered to obtain compulsory identity cards.
By Garry Kranz Comments 0 | Recommend 0
Get ID or Leave: The government of the United Arab Emirates is threatening to
deport expatriates who don’t get compulsory identity cards by 2010. The
government says all who live in the country must register with the country’s
population registry. Those who fail to obtain the new credentials will be
considered illegal and unable to register their vehicles, conduct banking
transactions or enroll their children in school, according to reports in various
Arabic newspapers. Government officials reportedly want the new ID card to
eventually replace a labor card currently used to verify a person’s residency.
Controversy surrounds the measure, especially since companies are expected to
bear the cost of helping their foreign workers obtain the credentials. The Dubai
government has budgeted $55 million to issue about 5 million identity cards to
citizens and expatriates.
Workforce Management contributing editor Garry Kranz is based in Richmond, Virginia. E-mail editors@workforce.com to comment.
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