*The first of its kind legislation in the region to be implemented soon
The National Address Law, that is aimed at providing a safe ground for enhancing the e-government services and a sure communication link between government departments and the country's residents, will be implemented soon, a senior Ministry of Interior official has said.
In what is seen as a giant leap in Qatar's race towards becoming an advanced country in all sectors, Law No 24/2017, touted to be the first of its kind in the region, will help Qatar to cope with the economic and social developments and legislative advancement witnessed in the country in the recent years.
The new law will enhance the strategic development of e-government and provide the legal infrastructure necessary for online transactions by moving from a descriptive address towards a digital address.
"The law is one of the internationally advanced laws and it will help all citizens and residents in availing various services and facing judicial proceedings. The new law will ensure proper communication between the State and everyone who resides in the country," Brigadier Salim Saqr al-Muraikhi, Director of the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Chairman of the Working Group on the Status of Law Enforcement Mechanism told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview.
"Everyone including citizens and expatriates comes under the purview of the law. All including institutions and companies should register their address and data with the ministry. This will ensure that everyone is properly communicated by the State and timely receives essential official notifications and announcements, especially judicial notification," he said.
This law is considered as a solution for good communication between various authorities of the country and the residents and establishments, especially for judicial announcements. “The law has several advantages as it speeds up legal proceedings and various services, being provided by the government," he explained.
Article (2) of the law mandates that the provided address includes details including residential address, fixed telephone and mobile number, e-mail address, address of the employer for government and private sector employees, permanent address abroad if available and any other data specified by the competent authority.
"The communication will go to the address, given by the individual. And he should be available at the given address. Any communication and judicial declaration to this address will be considered as valid under Article 5. A resident will be responsible for any error in the address and data. He can't argue that the communication or announcement went to the wrong address," Brigadier al-Muraikhi said.
The failure to submit the required data and address could attract a fine of QR10,000.
Article 6 stipulates that any person who violates any of the provisions of Articles (3) and (4) of this Law will be punished for providing incorrect data about his national address with a fine not exceeding QR 10,000.
Brigadier al-Muraikhi said Article 4 mandates the resident to notify the authority about any change in the address. "If not updated, the existing address will be considered as valid and communication and notification will go to this address," he said.
The official explained that the National Address differs from the address stated in the ID card. "It is an address for communication between the individual and different government bodies. The address on the ID is the address of residence," he said.
He added that exclusive centres will be opened for registering National Address or it can be done through existing MoI service centres. In addition to this, the registration could be done through 'Metrash 2' as well," Brigadier al- Muraikhi added.
