For residents, the Emirates ID is tied to the residence visa. You apply for it with the visa, it expires with the visa, and you renew both together, starting up to six months before expiry. Leave it more than 30 days after expiry and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) charges a daily fine. A lost or damaged card is replaced online with the same validity.
ICP issues the card for residents of every emirate, Dubai included. The fees below are ICP's published government fees as of October 2026. Typing centres and other service providers add their own charges on top.
What the Emirates ID is used for
The Emirates ID is the UAE's identity card. Every citizen and resident must have one, and you will be asked for it constantly: for government services, by many private companies and at the airport e-gates.
Three things about it surprise newcomers:
- The number is for life. The 15-digit ID number stays with you permanently. If you leave and return years later on a new visa, your new card carries the same number.
- It is your proof of residence. ICP's residence process ends with a notice that the residence has been issued and the card arriving by courier. If an embassy or a bank wants a paper record of an ICP-issued residence, ICP's smart services can print a residence details report.
- Nobody else may keep it. ICP says it is against the law to seize another person's Emirates ID. Employers and other companies may record the details on the card, but they cannot hold on to it.
ICP's online services need a UAE Pass login, so set one up as soon as your card arrives. It will save you most counter visits later.
Applying for your first card
You don't apply for the ID on its own. It comes with your residence, in four stages:
- The application. Outside Dubai, ICP takes the residence and the ID on one unified form. In Dubai, GDRFA Dubai issues the residence and the ID application goes to ICP alongside it. For family members, the sponsor applies on their behalf, as part of sponsoring your family.
- The medical test. Everyone aged 18 or over takes a medical fitness test, and ICP will not complete the card without a fit result.
- Fingerprints. Anyone aged 15 or over gives fingerprints and a signature at an ICP service centre, by appointment. ICP's centres in Dubai include Al Barsha and Al Rashidiya. Under ICP's Basmah 15 initiative, school students aged 15 and over can give their fingerprints at school.
- Delivery. The standard card is delivered by an authorised courier. Urgent cards are collected from an ICP centre.
ICP charges AED 100 for each year of residence plus a smart service fee of AED 100, so a two-year residence means AED 200 for the card itself. Your passport needs at least six months' validity for a new residence. For the full sequence, from entry permit to residence, see how a UAE residence visa works.
How do you renew your Emirates ID?
As a resident, you renew the card when you renew your residence. Outside Dubai it is the same unified form; in Dubai the ID renewal runs alongside the GDRFA Dubai residence renewal. You can apply in the last six months before the card expires, or after it has expired.
ICP's conditions for a resident's renewal are short:
- a passport valid for at least three months
- a new photo that is not identical to the one printed on your current card
- fingerprints again if you are 15 or over and ICP asks for them
- a fit result from the medical test, where your residence renewal requires one
ICP's service card gives five days to complete a renewal once the application is in order.
One point catches people out: the card cannot outlast your residence. When the visa expires, the ID expires with it, so a late residence renewal is also a late ID renewal.
Late renewal and other fines
| What went wrong | When the fine starts | Fine | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID not renewed | 30 days after the card expires | AED 20 a day | AED 1,000 |
| Change in personal details not reported | 30 days after the change | AED 20 a day | AED 1,000 |
| Newborn's ID not applied for | Four months after the birth | AED 20 a day | AED 1,000 |
| Staying on after the residence ends | When your grace period runs out | AED 50 a day | None listed by ICP |
Two points matter more than the table. First, the ID fine stops at AED 1,000, while ICP lists no maximum for staying on after your residence has ended. If you have to prioritise, sort out the residence. ICP's grace periods after a residence expires or is cancelled range from 30 days for most categories to 180 days for Golden, Green and Blue Visa holders and their families.
Second, ICP does accept requests to waive ID delay fees, but only in narrow, documented cases, such as a passport held because of a court case. Being busy or abroad is not on ICP's list.
Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged card
- Report a lost card to ICP within seven days.
- Apply for a replacement on ICP's website or app, through a registered typing centre or at an ICP customer happiness centre.
- ICP charges AED 300 for a replacement plus the AED 100 smart service fee, and another AED 150 for the urgent service at an ICP centre.
- The new card has the same validity as the one it replaces.
- If you are 15 or over, you give fingerprints again at an ICP centre.
If the card simply stops working, take it to an ICP centre before paying for a replacement. ICP replaces cards with a manufacturing defect, such as a failed chip, free of charge. Damage from misuse is treated as an ordinary paid replacement.
Checking your application status
ICP offers three ways to check an ID or residence application:
- your ICP account, under My Applications
- the tracking option on ICP's smart services website, using the application number, which starts with 010
- ICP's call centre on 600 522222
For a Dubai residence, check the status on GDRFA Dubai's website or app, or call GDRFA on 800 5111 from inside the UAE. If a typing centre files for you, ask for the application number, not just the payment receipt. Without it, tracking means a phone call.
Common mistakes
- A passport close to expiry. ICP needs at least three months' validity to renew the ID and six months for a new residence. Renew the passport first.
- Missed fingerprint appointments. ICP cancels applications when the required steps are not completed within the set period, and you start again.
- Changes not reported. ICP expects changes to your personal or civil details, such as a marriage, a divorce or a new name, to be reported within 30 days, or the daily fine starts.
- Handing the card over. Give a copy when a company needs your details. Do not let anyone keep the original.
- Look-alike websites. Apply only through ICP, GDRFA Dubai or a registered typing centre, and pay only on those channels.
If you are managing renewals for a family or a team, our PRO services team can file the applications, book fingerprint appointments and track each one, and our guide to Amer, Tasheel and typing centres explains which counter handles what. For a quick check of your own situation, book a free consultation.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Do children need an Emirates ID?
What happens to my Emirates ID when I cancel my visa?
Can I get an Emirates ID in 24 hours?
Do I have to carry my Emirates ID with me?
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