As many as 6,298 electronic passports were issued to UAE nationals during the period from December 4 to 15 at the 33 naturalization centers across the country, Major-General Nasser Al Awadhi Al Menhali, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior for Naturalization, Residency and Ports Affairs, stated on Sunday.
The new e-passports include those renewed after the expiry and those issued for newborns and for first-time holders, Al Menhali said. During a Press conference at his office, Al Menhali stated: “The move is in line with the directives of Lt General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, who instructed us to necessarily keep up with the latest means of technology and develop the methods and procedures of work continuously and exploit and devote them to serve citizens.
“The e-passport is a new experiment and it is subject to international norms and criteria,” Al Menhali pointed out. All the UAE nationals will be provided with the new e-passports, he said.
The expired passports will be replaced with new e-passports on the renewal date and those who apply for a passport for the first time will also get the e-passport, he said.
“By the end of 2012, I hope every Emirati will have the e-passport in hand,” he added.
As many as 1,000 e-passports are processed and printed daily at the printing centers at the naturalization departments across the country in two shifts, he clarified.
