ID card deadlines eased in free zones

Abu Dhabi: Thousands of expatriates working with private companies in free zones in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will get time to register for or renew their national ID cards without paying fines until March 31 and May 31 respectively, Emirates Identity Authority (Emirates ID) announced yesterday (Tuesday).

The authority had started imposing fines on the expatriates working with private companies in free zones from January 1, 2012 for delayed registration and renewal of ID cards along with the expatriates in government and semi-government sector, an official spokesman of the authority told Gulf News yesterday.

It was because the government considers free zones as ‘semi-government sector’, he said.The spokesman made it clear that the reprieve is not applicable for free zones in other emirates [except Abu Dhabi and Dubai] because the deadline for expatriates in the five other emirates has already expired.

Penalties: confusion abounds

Many expatriates in the government and semi-government sectors have started paying fines because of the confusion about the status of their companies. Many others mistook the reprieve announced for expatriates in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. As Gulf News reported on January 19, only the family members of expatriate employees in government and semi-government sector in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will get time to register for or renew ID cards without paying fines until March 31 and May 31 respectively.