Get lost passport certificate in 1 day

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

Four Dubai Government departments have taken steps to cut the time for documenting lost passport reports from four working days to one day through a joint blockchain platform.

The Dubai Police, Public Prosecution, Dubai Courts and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) signed an MoU to develop the service at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Thursday.

The blockchain platform, which will be launched in the first half of next year, will reduce the application process for a ‘lost passport certificate’ from 8 steps to 3, said senior officers from the four departments.

The current steps to obtain the certificate include submitting a request, receiving a letter about the loss, having the letter stamped at the Dubai residency directorate, the Dubai Courts and the Public Prosecution.

Thereafter, the applicant heads to the competent police station to obtain a certificate of loss, applies for a replacement passport through the embassy and returns to the residency directorate to put a visa sticker.

The steps will be three thanks to the blockchain as the applicant will obtain a certificate from police, apply for a replacement passport at the embassy and finally visit the residency directorate for the visa sticker.

Customers will be able to apply for the ‘lost passport certificate’ through Dubai Police channels; website and smart apps. This single window for submission will link police with the other three departments.

“For the Public Prosecution, signing this MoU is a vital step in the development of government work and use of the best technologies to serve customers,” said Dubai Attorney General Essam Issa Al Humaidan.

“The new service will reduce time required to document the loss of passports from four days to one day. Minimising steps to three reflects positively on the beneficiaries and reduces efforts of the four departments.”

On his part, the Director General of Dubai Courts Taresh Eid Al Mansouri, stressed that the MoU is a great success for the four parties to achieve excellence and leadership and to ensure high standards of quality.

The Director of GDRFA in Dubai Maj. Gen Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri said, “This agreement is part of efforts to achieve Dubai Government’s wise directives of providing integrated services to boost customer happiness.”

The Dubai Police Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Criminal Investigations, Maj. Gen. Khalil Ibrahim Al-Mansouri, underlined the General Command’s keenness to help offer simplified services to the community.