Smart Dubai has launched a new bundle of residency services on its flagship DubaiNow application, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai.

The new additions expand the integrated network of services offered to users of DubaiNow – the first and only application of its kind for the Dubai Government – to save their time and effort, reduce paper consumption in government transactions, and support Dubai’s efforts at comprehensive digital transformation.

Available for the first time and exclusively online on DubaiNow, Smart Dubai have now introduced residency services for parents, grandparents and other relatives, in addition to the residency services for newborns, spouses, and children that were launched last year. The residency services being introduced will allow users to obtain residency visas easily and without having to visit service centers.

All transactions associated with these services can be easily completed from the application, which offers citizens and residents an all-in-one experience and a single tool for all dealings with Dubai government and several private sector partners.

H.E Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) said: “The government of the United Arab Emirates has taken steps towards adopting the best global solutions and practices in all fields, and engaging all government entities in designing services and developing innovative digital solutions comes in line with the country’s digital future and in line with the government’s needs for smart services to provide the seamless and fastest customer journey that make him happy.“

“Providing a unified platform for government services in the Emirate of Dubai has made a qualitative leap in the concept of government services, customer can complete his government transactions easily through an integrated digital platform.” Al Marri added.

pointing out that GDRFA Dubai is keen to continue working in cooperation with all government entities to provide all its services in a way that contributes to enhancing the quality of life, and to ensure the acceleration of Dubai’s transformation into the most prominent developed and smart city in the world.

His Excellency Wesam Lootah, CEO of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment, said that employing the latest technology to facilitate people’s lives and provide exceptional living experiences is an approach that Smart Dubai is committed to in its march towards achieving the emirate’s full smart transformation. He reiterated that through its variety of initiatives that encompass all sectors, Smart Dubai is making it quicker, simpler and easier to utilize services, especially vital ones that affect people’s daily lives.

“Smart Dubai and its strategic partners from the government and private sectors are intensifying their joint efforts to expand the scope of the DubaiNow application to become more comprehensive, integrated and easier to use. It has been designed to meet the needs and aspirations of the residents of Dubai and to ensure the provision of smooth services that save time and effort, thereby allowing them to focus on doing what they love. Ultimately, DubaiNow aims to increase the levels of happiness across all members of society, in alignment of our vision to make Dubai the happiest city on Earth,” said His Excellency.

The DubaiNow application already offers users a host of residency services, namely applying for, renewing, or cancelling residency sponsorship for a spouse and children; viewing dependents’ residency visas and entry permits; tracking the status of visa applications and entry permits for residents and visitors; and requesting official travel and dependent reports from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

DubaiNow allows users to access more than 130 government and private sector services from over 30 entities (28 government departments and 8 non-government institutions). These services can be classified into 12 different categories, namely: Bills, Mobile, Driving, Housing, Residency, Health, Education, Police, Travel, Islam, Donations and General.

Smart Dubai is constantly adding more services, which saves time for users and allows them to reduce the number of times they need to visit customer service centers annually from 23 to 9 times, saving every person 28 hours on average.