Sheikh Mohammed announces UAE service ratings, with Fujairah center earning first 7 stars

The Traffic and Licensing Services Centre in Fujairah has become the first UAE government service channel to earn a 7-star rating since the Global Star Rating System for Services began in 2011, the Dubai Media Office reported.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the results of the sixth cycle. The center is part of the Ministry of Interior.

This cycle is the largest in the system’s 15-year history. It assessed 179 service channels across 27 federal government entities.

The channels included 107 service centers, 49 digital channels and 23 call centers.

Ratings breakdown

One channel received 7 stars. Eight received 6 stars, 67 received 5 stars, 70 received 4 stars and 33 received 3 stars.

Two channels of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security earned 6 stars. They are the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Fujairah and the Customer Service Centre in Ras Al Khaimah.

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure’s call center earned 5 stars.

Performance gains

Overall government performance improved on previous cycles.

Call centers recorded the strongest improvement at 13 percent. Service centers followed at 5 percent, and digital channels at 4 percent.

Service centers delivered the highest overall performance, followed by digital channels.

Leadership comments

Sheikh Mohammed said improving services and the customer experience will remain a priority for the UAE government. He said the system measures service quality through the eyes of the people who use them.

He congratulated Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and the ministry team on the achievement.

Sheikh Mohammed said the government wants services that match the finest hotels in hospitality, the best banks in accuracy and reliability, and airlines in speed and round-the-clock availability. He said the goal is a government that anticipates needs and exceeds expectations.

Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said the vision has created a global model for government services. He said it puts people first and judges performance by customer experience.

He said the government has moved beyond delivering services to designing complete, people-centered experiences. Improvement is now a continuous institutional responsibility, he said. It is driven by performance data, customer feedback and global best practices.

Al Gergawi described the system as far more than a rating tool. He said it builds a culture of quality and continuous improvement. It also encourages healthy competition between entities and motivates teams to make services more efficient, simpler and more proactive.

He said the sixth-cycle results confirm that services continue to advance. They also point to new opportunities as the UAE works toward delivering the best government services in the world.

How the system works

Each channel receives a rating and a set of practical indicators. These help entities set priorities, streamline operations and sustain improvement over time.

The results show where each channel stands and highlight areas for improvement. They also encourage the adoption of best practices and innovative solutions.

The UAE Government launched the system in 2011 on the directives of Sheikh Mohammed. The aim was to transform service delivery and raise efficiency and quality to the highest global standards.

The system rates channels on a scale of 2 to 7 stars. Criteria measure service quality, delivery efficiency and customer experience.

A comprehensive update in 2019 refreshed the criteria to keep pace with technological change. It sharpened the focus on customer experience, digital services and proactive delivery.

The system supports the UAE government’s ambition to set a global benchmark in public services. That ambition rests on excellence, efficiency, innovation and continuous improvement, with customer happiness and quality of life at its center.