Emirates ID number allocated for life - cannot be changed

Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) confirmed that the ID number issued for each individual, whether a citizen or a resident, is registered in the population register system, and is fixed and may not be modified or changed.

It is a random number consisting of 15 digits, including a four-digit part that may match the year of birth of the ID card holder; however, the said part of the ID number does not match the year of birth necessarily and the figures mentioned do not represent the approved field that determines the date of birth of the card holder.
 
Emirates Identity Authority said in a press release that the ID number is allocated for its holder for life and may not be given to anyone else.
 
It is a unique number that may not be changed nor replicated, whether for citizens or residents, pointing out that in case the ID holder changed his date of birth, this does not allow him in any way to change the ID number issued to him, and in case the resident cancelled his residence visa and left the country, his ID number is not cancelled and a new ID card under the same number will be issued to him once he returns to the country.

The ID number constitutes a way to verify the identity of the person and all the information records related to him are linked to the said number.
 
Abdul Aziz Al Maamari, Director of Government and Community Liaison Office at Emirates Identity Authority, explained that the ID number is divided into four parts: the first one consisting of the first three digits represents the international code of the UAE, followed by a four-digit part that may, and does not necessarily, match the year the birth of the card holder.

The third part of the number consists of seven random digits, and the last part consists of one digit which represents the verification number.

Al Maamari pointed out the importance of distinguishing between the ID number and the card number on the right of the back side of the card, which is affixed upon printing the cards in the Emirates Card Factory or through the decentralised printing system in customer service centers.
 
He added that the front side of the ID card contains the basic information of its holder, i.e. the ID number, the name, nationality, personal photo and smart chip where all the individual’s personal and biometric data are stored to be read automatically using the e-reader.
 
Al Maamari called the public and private institutions in the state not to restrict or bind the year of birth of the individual in their databases to the ID number printed on the card, and to record the date of birth from the field allocated to the date of birth, which is printed on the back side of the card, which also includes the card number, expiration date, signature and the note related to the loss of the ID card and the serial number of the electronic chip.
 
He pointed out that the ID card is the main reference to verify the identity of individuals especially that it includes all the personal data of its holder, including the personal photo and fingerprints, as well as the passport details and the individual civil record number for citizens and the passport and residence details for residents.
 
Al Maamari pointed out that most of the bodies, institutions and companies in the state are updating the details of their customers and the records related thereto and are linking the same to the identity number in order to reduce the duplication of records and so that the ID number becomes the main reference for the record of the individual which facilitates the process of linking the services providers systems based on the same number as the title to access the customer record.
 
He stressed the keenness of Emirates Identity Authority to develop the smart identity card issued to every citizen and resident of all ages, to expand the range of its uses as a main reference to define and verify the personal identity of the individual, and to offer the opportunity for more public and private sectors organisations to provide their services based on the ID card, especially that it has unique features that ensure the highest levels of security and accuracy of the data contained therein through three main features, as it is a smart card, includes the electronic signature to verify the identity and the biometric data "the fingerprint", as well as the ID number, and the criteria of the security level (EAL5 +), which is one of the highest possible levels of security for electronic chips, and which provides a maximum protection level for the card to limit manipulation and falsification of the data stored in the electronic chip.
 
It is noteworthy that the Emirates Identity Authority seeks within the framework of its second objective in the Strategic Plan 2014-2016 to "activate and expand the range of uses of the identity card in the various sectors in the country and to activate the ID card as a key reference to define and verify the identity," by providing verification and identification services through various channels, and by empowering and expanding the services in the public sector as well as by promoting Emirates Identity Authority and informing the users about the services it provides.

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