UAE to accept visa application within 15 sec

DUBAI: Visitors travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can now apply for their travel permits in just 15 seconds, the country’s top immigration authority has announced.

In a press conference in Dubai, the UAE’s General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners’ Affairs (GDRFA) announced that people could make their visa bookings to the UAE in just 15 seconds, thanks to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme, which has already helped process over five million transactions through the GDRFA app.

The new AI connects the GDRFA visa system to other government entities, allowing for faster processing times, and has been titled ‘Entry permit 50+’, which symbolizes the UAE moving forward 50 years in terms of visa-processing technology, according to Col. Dr Omar Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General for Entry and Residency Permits.

“We want to reduce (the processing time),” Al Shamsi said, citing for instance that one doesn’t anymore need to keep sending the same requirements like passports when filing for another visa as all pertinent requirements earlier submitted have been stored in a database.

The system also tracks suspicious or wanted individuals, sending their information to security authorities. Al Shamsi confirmed that the new system gives no room for security threats.

Visas through the app can either be done through a sponsor or a travel agency.

The system also makes use of a website from where the AI takes and processes the documents required for visa approval. To avail of this system, one has to download the GDRFA app for Android and iPhones.