Ahmed Alham Al Dhaheri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has inaugurated a new consular office and customer service centre in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, which will issue entry visas and permits from outside the UAE.

The launch of the new consular services office aims to facilitate the issuing of entry visas to citizens and residents of Senegal and promote the entry of Senegalese workers to the UAE, by improving the efficiency of their entry procedures through the e-gates at the country’s ports.

The event was attended by Mohammed Salim Al Rashedi, UAE Ambassador to Senegal, and a delegation from the Ministry of Interior and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, as well as the ambassadors of several countries and members of the diplomatic and parliamentary corps in Dakar, along with senior officials from the Senegalese government.

In his opening speech, Al Dhaheri expressed his appreciation at the efforts and constructive role of the Senegalese government in developing the bilateral ties between the UAE and Senegal, which are witnessing advancements on many levels and are in line with UAE’s smart transformations that aim to foresee the future, through the implementation of the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 to make all its provided services electronic.

Al Dhaheri stressed that the launch of the consular office and centre aims to improve co-operation ties in the consular sector and customer service, as well as facilitate entry visa procedures through the e-gates at entry ports in the UAE while noting that the procedures followed in the centre are in line with leading international practices and aim to improve customer service.

The new centre will ensure that original passport and biometric information, such as fingerprints, eye scan, facial recognition and pre-medical examinations, can be issued through seven accredited medical centres in Senegal, to ensure that people carrying contagious diseases are not allowed to enter the UAE while improving customer service, by providing excellent consular services as per international standards.