Tag Archives: GDRFA

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) signed a partnership agreement with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), in line with the implementation of the cultural visa initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to strengthen joint work and cooperation between the two parties. His Excellency added that the Authority seeks to enhance the cultural and social identity in the UAE, as well as enhance Dubai’s position as a global cultural destination, by attracting creative talents and enabling their participation in society, creating a supportive environment for them in line with UAE Vision 2021 for a competitive economy driven by knowledge and innovation. Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture, said, “The agreement also seeks to accelerate progress in Dubai at a pace that would match the aspirations of our inspiring leadership. It also supports the Authority’s endeavours to upgrade the level of services it provides to its customers, whether internal or external, in line with the corporate priorities of Dubai Culture’s updated strategic roadmap that comprises a pillar for excellence in institutional performance as well as across institutional culture and service delivery levels.” Badri added, “The agreement will also allow both parties to cooperate in issuing cultural visas and laying the foundations, standards and controls for issuing residence permits for investors, entrepreneurs and creative people in the fields of culture and arts. This is consistent with our efforts to establish an environment that encourages the attracting, retaining and empowering of global talent, strengthening the emirate’s position on the world’s cultural map.”

Passport control officers at Dubai International Airport have completed the entry procedures for the first Russian tourist group coming to the United Arab Emirates through Dubai airports after the resumption of air traffic at Dubai airports. His Excellency Major General Mohamed Ahmed Al-Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, revealed that the GDRFA Dubai issued one million and 678 thousand visas to Russians from 2018 until September 8 this year. Meanwhile, about 800,000 Russian visitors granted visas on arrival during the same period of time. He added that the number of Russian residents in the emirate of Dubai in 2019 and 2020 reached 21,838, while the number of the Russian residents in 2018 was 7,280. Therefore, the proportion of Russian residents increased during 2019 and the current year by 14,558 residents. H.E Major General Mohammed Al Marri stressed that the United Arab Emirates in general and the Emirate of Dubai, in particular are the preferred destination for tourists, especially the Russian tourist. He added, “Dubai retained its position among the most livable cities in light of the attractions of tourism and economic elements and its high index of safety and security.” H.E Mohammed Al Marri pointed out that the Emirati-Russian bilateral relations are witnessing continuous development and prosperity in various fields, which in turn affected the strengthening of the UAE’s position, confirming its global political, economic, and tourism presence. Besides enhancing cooperation opportunities and comprehensive strategic relations between various countries. Al Marri said, “We have national cadres of front-line heroes who are qualified to speak in different languages, including Russian, Chinese and French, in addition to Arabic, English and other languages, to facilitate …

Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) has launched #AskDXBOfficial, an initiative that gives the public and the media a chance to ask questions to Dubai’s senior government officials. The initiative is part of GDMO’s objective of creating platforms that allow the community to clarify issues and concerns with government officials. Alia Al Theeb, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications, Government of Dubai Media Office said, “#AskDXBOfficial is part of GDMO’s aim of introducing new interactive communication channels to ensure the Government of Dubai is constantly connected and engaged with citizens and residents. In a continuously evolving environment, we place high priority on communicating directly with the community with clarity and transparency. #AskDXBOfficial invites the public to ask questions to key government officials each week. Answers to their queries will be posted on GDMO’s official social media platforms.” Answering a question in the first #AskDXBOfficial interaction, Major General Mohammed Al Marri said all residents holding a valid resident visa are allowed to return to Dubai. Once they receive a return permit from GDRFA-Dubai and obtain a negative PCR test result, they can return to Dubai through any UAE airport. Holders of expired residency visas should renew their visas before exiting the country if they wish to return to the UAE, Al Marri clarified. Valid UAE residency visa holders currently outside the country can return to Dubai provided there are no flight restrictions between the UAE and the country they are in. Responding to a question regarding people who have incurred fines after losing their jobs because of travel restrictions Al Marri said, “To all those who have accumulated fines, please do not assume you cannot exit the country. We at Dubai Airports and …

His Excellency Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) met with representatives of tourism companies in Dubai to discuss the mechanism for granting tourist visas as part of promoting and revitalising tourism in the post-COVID-19 phase. The meeting was also attended by HE Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General of GDRFA Dubai, Colonel Dr. Omar Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General for Entry and Residence Permits Sector, and other officials. “Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and tourism companies are major partners of the GDRFA in the effort to realise Dubai’s vision to become the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub,” Al Marri added. His Excellency said he expects tourism to emerge stronger from the crisis with the removal of air travel restrictions and the resumption of all vital sectors in the country. He emphasised that the UAE has proven its ability to overcome the crisis by creating a robust framework for managing the impact of the pandemic and implementing comprehensive precautionary measures. Following the resumption of air travel, international tourism flows have been increasing, he noted. Al Marri further said the GDRFA is geared to contribute to the revitalisation of tourism in Dubai. The department is working constantly with its partners to facilitate the procedures for issuing visas and receiving travellers, while ensuring compliance with the UAE government’s measures to protect everyone’s health and safety. He stressed on the need to adhere to the UAE government’s air travel protocols.

The latest project implemented by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFA) under the Federal Authority for identity and citizenship is the seamless passenger experience with the aid of biometrics via Emirates airline. Major Ghalib Abdulla Hassan Al Majed Al Marri – Director Business Management Department Smart Services, stated, “Our latest project from GDRFA is the passenger journey incorporation with Emirates airline. Three days prior to the passenger starting the journey, details about the passenger will be sent form the airline to the GDRFA for confirmation. Hence when the passenger arrives on the day of departure, all he or she should do is walk through the smart tunnel with no boarding pass, biometrics prior will obtain access not only through the gates but also to the lounge and the flight so that the customer has a much better passenger experience.” According to Major Al Marri, this will be introduced very soon for all the classes – Economy, Business and First Class. You will not need the boarding pass anymore to access the lounge or even the flight. Biometrics will be updated 72 hours prior to the departure of the traveller, which will enable the traveller to pass through or walk through a biometric tunnel with no documents in hand. Facial recognition will be the way forward, passing through customs, stay at the lounge; if you are not travelling in Business Class you can still enjoy the lounge by paying a nominal fee, at this point you can actually do so with no papers. 

Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (GDRFA) to further facilitate the delivery of smart services to investors, entrepreneurs and startups, particularly homegrown entities, and help them develop their businesses in areas such as technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart city applications. Aligned with Dubai’s Smart Government strategy and the UAE Vision 2021, the agreement will ensure the protection of intellectual property and enhance creative thinking skills and applications, while boosting cooperation in the scientific, training and professional fields as well as the exchange of expertise in legal, technical and administrative matters. As part of the MoU, the GDRFA will set up an office in DSOA’s headquarters to provide government services directly to Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO)-based entrepreneurs and investors. Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DSOA, signed the MoU with Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, GDRFA, in the presence of senior officials from the two sides. Dr Mohammed Alzarooni said, “DSOA is committed to growing and developing its services according to the Smart Dubai initiative, which aims to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. We are pleased to sign this partnership agreement with a pioneering entity such as GDRFA that is known for its extremely effective and efficient smart government services and for achieving high levels of customer happiness. Notably, the agreement supports the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021 in shaping an attractive environment that empowers creative entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into successful projects that serve the national economy.” Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri said: “Our agreement is …

Emirates is gearing up to launch the world’s first “biometric path” that will offer its customers a smooth and truly seamless airport journey at the airline’s hub in Dubai International airport. Utilising the latest biometric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can soon check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates lounge and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. The latest biometric equipment has already been installed at Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International airport. It can be found at select check-in counters, at the Emirates Lounge in Concourse B for premium passengers, and at select boarding gates. Areas where biometric equipment are installed will be clearly marked.  Adel Al Redha, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Emirates, said, “Guided by our chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates continuously innovates and strives to improve our day-to-day business. After extensive research and evaluation of numerous technologies and new approaches to enhance our passenger journey, we are now satisfied with the preliminary work we have carried out and are ready to commence live trials of the world’s first biometric path at Emirates Terminal 3. These ground-breaking initiatives are a result of close collaboration with our stakeholders – particularly GDRFA who have been instrumental in the programme to bring the biometric path to fruition.” Major General Mohammed Ahmed Almarri, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai,  said, “We are pleased to roll-out these new initiatives at Terminal 3 in collaboration with Emirates and our airport stakeholders. The Smart Tunnel tests are running smoothly, and we are now preparing to mobilise the other biometric systems at the other areas …

A new service that enables the use of Emirates ID cards to pass through automated immigration gates at Dubai International (DXB) is gaining popularity, with more than 234,000 UAE residents using it during its phased roll out. Completely free of charge and requiring no pre-registration, the new service makes passing through immigration Smart Gates fast and convenient for all UAE residents. The first of its kind in the region, it is the result of the joint efforts of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), the Emirates Identity Authority and Dubai Airports. The new service, available on all 127 Smart Gates across all three terminals at Dubai International, has been enabled by creating a secure and efficient link between various operational systems and databases managed by Emirates Identity Authority, GDRFA and Dubai Airports. Upon inserting the Emirates ID Card into the Smart Gate, the system can quickly, accurately and efficiently confirm the identity, travel plans and eligibility of UAE residents to enter and depart the country.