UAE ID cards to include iris scans

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 8 (UPI) -- The United Arab Emirates is putting more high-tech into required resident identity cards, something the United States can't do because it doesn't have them.

From January next year, foreign residents of the UAE will be required to undergo an eye scan to be incorporated into new identity cards that will eventually replace all other forms of official identification, such as health cards, labor permits, residency and driving licenses.

Later, the iris scans will be part of an identity card containing micro-chip information that all people in the country will be required to carry.

Gulf News, quoting officials of the Emirates Identity Authority, said ID cards containing the iris scan information are only being issued at present to military and other government personnel.

"Registration with the authority will be obligatory for expatriates over 15 years of age from the beginning of next year," said Darwish Ahmad al Zarouni, the head of the issuing authority.

He said the inclusion of iris scans was part of UAE security efforts.

The United States does not have a national identification card, and suggestions in the past to adopt one have met stiff opposition from civil liberties advocates.