DNRD's dedicated Dubai 2003 visa office awarded ISO 9001-2000 certification

The Department of Naturalisation and Residency, Dubai (DNRD) has received ISO 9001-2000 quality certification in visa procedures for its newly established visa office, that will facilitate procedures and issue visas to delegates of the prestigious 2003 Annual Meeting of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, which is being held in Dubai from 18 to 24 September, 2003.

The dedicated visa office was launched under the directive of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister for Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai 2003, the official organising body for the Annual Meeting.

Colonel Saeed bin Belailah, Director Dubai Naturalisation & Residency Department (DNRD), stated, "This certification is a remarkable achievement as it endorses the efforts of the Quality e-service section of the IT department of DNRD to implement international standards in servicing the large number of expected delegates. This is the first time that the Middle East will host the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, that is in its 58th session this year, and it is a great honour for Dubai to host the event. DNRD is strongly committed to contribute to the success of this prestigious event, which will attract over 12,000 delegates from across the world, by facilitating procedures of entry and exit during the annual meetings".

"According to the UAE laws, citizens of some countries can enter Dubai without a visa, while other nationalities have to get a visa prior to arrival. To prepare for the event, we have worked hard over the past 12 months, to set up a fully equipped visa office, connected electronically to the main DNRD office. The IT department of DNRD has equipped the office with world-class infrastructure by deploying leading IT solutions and software to integrate all procedures of the new office with the main DNRD office", said bin Belailah. 

The dedicated visa office has been established in the Dubai International Convention Centre, the main venue of the meetings to facilitate procedures for international delegates originating from countries that need a valid visa to enter the UAE.

"The visa office has received ISO certification as it uses advanced IT solutions that enhance the quality of services offered to delegates. There were many stringent criteria that had to be fulfilled for the certification, including customer service, efficient employee management procedures and integration of technologically advanced systems", he added.

"Hosting this prestigious event strengthens Dubai's position as a vital link between multicultural financial markets. Dubai is now seen as important economic hub of the region and an increasingly important business destination visited by businessmen of all nationalities. Our department receives between 70,000-120,000 visa applications every month and we expect this rate to double during prestigious events. Events such as the Annual Meeting of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund call for high-quality services, that match international quality standards, and by receiving ISO certification in visa procedures, DNRD has proved its capability in handling this prestigious event," he continued.

"The new visa office is connected to the main DNRD offices by a developed network and a majority of the procedures have been automated and integrated through an advanced electronic network, to ensure that all procedures will go smoothly and there will be high performance. We also have a well-trained professional team, that can efficiently handle the large number of multinational delegates", he added.

"The office will manned by a selected number of top-level employees of DNRD. We have automated the communications systems in the new office, according to the latest quality standards. The visa issuing procedure, will be done through e-forms, over the internet, which will ensure high speed services to the delegates. The special visa will be valid only for single entry and for the period 1-30 September, 2003 only", he added.

"We are committed to developing our workforce by sharpening skills and qualifications in a continuous manner. To prepare for the event, we had sent a team to Washington last year, during the last annual meetings, to provide this year's participants the e-Gate facility through remote fingerprint technique", he concluded.

DNRD has recently launched an e-Gate project, the new card-operated electronic passport control system, which uses a foolproof fingerprint identification system to complete entry and exit formalities within a few seconds. This card will facilitate delegates and media at the Dubai airport.