BIZ BAHRAIN JAN-FEB 2020_compressed

Government
ID Card Service
Center in
Muharraq will no
longer open on
Saturdays
The Information and
eGovernment Authority
(iGA) branch in Seef Mall -
Muharraq offering updating
of ID card details will no
longer be open on Saturdays.
It will remain open during the
normal working days from
Sunday to Thursday, along
with the Isa Town branch,
which will continue to offer
this specific service on
Saturdays until further notice.
The opening days for both
branches were previously
extended from five to six days
to accommodate a heavy
backlog of applications for the
updating of ID card details.
Kerry Logistics
setup its
operations
in Bahrain to
access GCC
market
One of Asia’s largest thirdparty
logistics providers,
Hong Kong-headquartered
company Kerry Logistics
Network invest in Bahrain,
which is part of their regional
iGA Director of Identity &
Population Registry, Shaikh
Sabah bin Hamad Al Khalifa
said that the decision to
change the working days was
made after the processing of
these applications reduced
the workload, allowing
for greater appointment
availability during official
government working hours.
The branches were able to
satisfy more than 11,000 ID
chip updating requests on
Saturdays during the second
half of 2019, a 20% increase in
output compared to the first
half.
iGA is directing its
resources towards providing
most ID card related services
electronically. To make
an online appointment,
customers can visit the
National Portal bahrain.
bh, choose ‘Appointments
Booking and Enquiry’ under
Identity Card Services. For
more inquiries, customers
can use the national
suggestions and complaints
system ‘Tawasul’, available
on the National Portal and at
bahrain.bh/apps.
footprint expansion plans
to enhance access to key
markets such as the Saudi
Arabia and the opportunity
to scale across the wider
$1.5 trillion GCC markets,
Kerry Logistics cited the EDB
as part of their decisionmaking
process in launching
operations in Bahrain.
The Kingdom has acted
as a commercial bridge
between the East and the
West for thousands of years.
In today’s increasingly digital
and hyper-connected world, it
is the ideal regional logistics
hub.
Kerry Lofistics manages
60 million square feet of
logistics facilities over 53
countries and territories.
iGA launch
ePayment
services via
SADAD
The Information &
eGovernment Authority
(iGA) has launched a host of
new ePayment services in
partnership through SADAD,
the leading self-payment
kiosk.
One of the first services
launched through this
channel is the payment of the
traffic contravention service,
offered in coordination with
the General Directorate of
Traffic. Work is currently
ongoing to launch more
eGovernment services via
the new added payment
$60 visa fees for Bahrain citizens
wish to visit Turkey
Bahraini citizens wishing
to travel to the Republic
of Turkey, are now required to
pay for an electronic visa fee
of $60 for a maximum visit
period of 30 days starting
from 25 December 2019.
Citizens wishing to visit
for a longer period must apply
channel SADAD , in line
with the objective to
strengthen partnerships
between the private and
public sectors. This also
supports the government’s
digital transformation, and
its transition from being
an operator to becoming a
regulator of services.
iGA’s eGovernment
services via its channels,
including the ones offered
through SADAD, adhere to the
highest quality and safety
standards, guaranteeing data
privacy, and ensuring more
streamlined and convenient
transactions.
ePayment services
are experiencing user
growth rates averaging at
approximately 37% per year.
This is in keeping with which
the iGA’s strategy to offer
traditional offline services
via digital channels. iGA plans
to introduce further services
through the SADAD network
that includes more than 850
kiosks located across the
Kingdom.
for a visa in person through
the Turkish Embassy in the
Kingdom of Bahrain.
It is worth noting that
the visit visa fees for a period
that exceeds 30 to 60 days is
determined to be $135, while
it is $270 for a period that
exceeds 60 to 90 days.
28 January-February 2020