The Metrash2 mobile app of the Ministry of Interior has proved to be a phenomenal success over the years, revolutionising the public service delivery in the government sector. The app provides hundreds of crucial MoI-related services to citizens, residents and businesses in a safe virtual mode. It provides services ranging from residency to traffic affairs and from visa to National Address registration and modification. Additionally, people can also communicate and lodge criminal complaints with the authorities through the app.
The automation in the government sector, especially the Ministry of Interior, has eased the procedures for the users.
Thanks to the government’s automation drive, most of the MoI services today can be accessed virtually. People can apply and obtain visas and many other documents and certificates within minutes in their inbox. The app enables users to pay the various government fees and charges through a credit or a debit card.
In 2021, more than 6 million transactions were completed through the app. In 2020, the app registered 7 million transactions. There are over 2 million active users, who can access more than 250 services through the app 24/7.
The most used services during 2021 were residency renewal, visa extension, vehicle ownership transfer, vehicle registration renewal, addition and updation of national address, and traffic ticket payment. However, what’s missing in the app or other official platforms, is a clear and up-to-date guideline and details of conditions to be met by expats to obtain certain types of visas. There are over two million active users registered on the app. It provides services in six languages, and ensures secure and encrypted services while supporting multiple platforms with different screens. It has introduced a ‘zero click’ feature for businesses for automatic renewal of residency permits for employees. Once a company registers in the Automatic Residency Renewal section, every month the service will renew the residency of employees automatically and send IDs to the company location without human intervention.
The E-Wallet, another feature introduced recently, contains digital copies of important documents that users can produce while availing different government services or to show to security if needed. It consists of official documents, including the Qatar ID card (residence permit), driving licence and vehicle registration. People can just show the E-Wallet instead of carrying hard documents at most places.
Metrash2 services are available in Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Urdu and Malayalam.
