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Filipina’s passport damaged in Torch fire

A Filipina expat’s plan to go home in the Philippines by the end of August has been put on hold after her passport was damaged in the fire that engulfed  the Torch Tower.

Cheryl, one of the residents in the tower, told Khaleej Times that her flat is still filled with water, caused by waterlogging from the recent fire incident.

“We checked our unit to collect some important things use,” she said, adding that, “Our apartment is wet all over and the balcony is damaged. So are our appliances.”

Because of this she said she will have to file for a police report for her damaged passport. “It was in the living room, inside a bag. There’s no electricity upstairs, so we don’t know what to do,” Cheryl was quoted as saying.

What to do if your passport is lost or damaged?

If you have lost your passport in the UAE, you will have to reapply for a new passport. But first, you need to report the matter to the nearest police station to apply for lost report or lost certificate from the police station and the data list of the lost residence permit.

This service is provided by Dubai Police and is linked to General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs and Dubai Courts. These entities that will issue a certificate to your embassy to get a new passport.

The next step is to get the residence visa, which ensures your legal stay in the UAE. The Ministry of Interior has also rolled out “E-channels”, which aims to expedite the processing of residency and visa application in the country.

UAE residents and expats, including Filipinos, can now apply for their visa and residency permits in the most convenient way — online within just 10 minutes.

It means that people no longer need to allot much time and effort to head out to typing offices or customer service centers.

Through the website link https://echannels.moi.gov.ae residents and expats simply need register their e-mail address to become a member and log into the system.

Photo Credit: Flicker.com

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