Dubai has continued its increasing focus on modern technologies in its offerings, and the new ‘Salama’ online platform is a testimony to this. The newly launched platform adopts artificial intelligence to accelerate the visa renewal process. Thereby focusing on reducing wait times and paperwork involved in the overall process. Users can look forward to selecting their preferred renewal duration and have their requests entertained immediately.

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (GDFRA) manages this new platform. Upon user login, the system automatically detects the user details, displays their details like the dependents’ visa status, and highlights the days till expiration. Adopting technological advances with modern tools like AI has been the trend Dubai authorities have utilized to constantly evolve the process and keep pace with modern technology.

Launched in February 2024, Ghaleb Abdullah Mohammed Hassan Al-Majid, Director of the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Department of GDFRA, stated that the Salama platform focuses on enabling residents to complete their renewal process within minutes as compared to two to three hours earlier. For Phase 1, the system applies only to resident visa renewals. It does not currently apply to a Dubai tourist visa renewal process. In the next phase, we will likely extend the system to Dubai visa online services for visitors, tourists, and other GDRFA services.

Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, General Director of GDFRA Dubai, stated that GDFRA firmly believes digital transformation should go beyond adopting new technologies to keep pace with the modern digital landscape. It should also focus on innovating and enhancing customer experiences as they interact with government-managed systems. At the same time, it should enhance performance and help align with the visionary leadership goal of enabling smooth and easy resident services.

Users can select their preferred renewal duration and act upon other services like canceling any dependents’ visas mapped to their residence visa and addressing general visas and residency queries. The system also has an integrated payment system. It has significantly reduced the task for residents to navigate through multiple digital platforms or visit visa service centers to initiate their visa renewal process.

GDRFA continues to focus on improving the quality of life in Dubai by adopting and innovating with new technologies in its processes. Medical screening remains the only component in the entire process that will still be covered offline. The Salama platform will significantly reduce the waiting time once the medical examination is covered.