A Ministry of Interior (MoI) has said some 2.174mn people, including both citizens and expatriates, have completed their National Address registration until now.

Only a month remains for completing the National Address registration.

Lieutenant Colonel Dr Abdullah Zayed al-Sahli, head of the National Address Section - Public Security, told local Arabic daily Arrayah that the response has been "very good" and the ministry has met 68% of the target.

He urged all government and private institutions to complete the process and explained that any company that has a registration number must register its address. For companies with more than one branch, the address of each branch must be registered separately.

"The MoI has also provided facilities for community members to facilitate the process of registering domestic workers," he said.

Considered the first of its kind in the GCC, the National Address Law marks a qualitative leap in the conduct of judicial procedures and enables a proper communication system. All entities and individuals, 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 receives essential official notifications and announcements on time.

The registration will help the government easily reach out to people and deliver various services, including ambulance services. A citizen or an expatriate or his/her legal representative has to register his/her data in a simple form that includes the address of residence, fixed telephone number, mobile number, e-mail, employer address for government and private sector employees, and permanent address abroad, if available. The guardian of minor children has to register their data and bears legal responsibility for the validity of this data.

The registration will enhance the performance rates of some security services for rapid response in case of emergencies. The services include those by Al-Fazaa, Traffic, Civil Defence and ambulance.

The registration will also help residents take advantage of online delivery and online purchase. Anyone who fails to register their address within six months of the enactment of the law will be fined with an amount less than QR10,000.

The law mandates the individual to notify the authority about change in the address. If not updated, the existing address will be considered as valid and communication and notification will go to the given address.