Passport United Arab Emirates: Your 2025 Guide to Getting One

If you're a UAE national, a new citizen, or a parent registering a child, the passport united arab emirates process runs through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) — and it's faster than most people expect, if you bring the right documents. This guide walks through eligibility, fees, timelines, and the parts that quietly cause rejections.

Quick answer: A passport united arab emirates is issued only to UAE citizens by ICP under Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 on Nationality and Passports. Adults pay AED 300 for a 5-year passport or AED 600 for a 10-year passport; minors get a 5-year passport for AED 150. You apply through the ICP smart app, ICP website, or a typing centre. Most renewals are decided within 48 hours. First-time issuance for new citizens or newborns takes longer because the file needs Family Book and Khulasat Al Qaid verification.

Who can actually hold a passport united arab emirates

Only UAE nationals. That's the rule under Article 1 of Federal Law No. 17 of 1972, and ICP enforces it strictly.[1]

If you were naturalised under Federal Decree-Law No. 16 of 2017 (the amended Nationality Law), you'll need your naturalisation decree plus your updated Family Book before ICP issues your first passport.[2] Long-term residents — including Golden Visa holders — don't qualify. You keep your home-country passport and your UAE residence visa, full stop.

A common confusion: the "UAE travel document" issued to stateless residents (the grey one) is not a passport united arab emirates. It's a separate document under different rules, and it doesn't carry the same visa-free access.

The takeaway here is simple — citizenship first, passport second. No shortcuts.

Fees, validity, and what you actually pay in 2025

ICP publishes the official fee schedule, and it hasn't shifted much recently:

| Service | Fee (AED) | |---|---| | Adult passport, 5 years | 300 | | Adult passport, 10 years | 600 | | Minor passport, 5 years | 150 | | Urgent issuance (24-hour) | +150 | | Lost passport replacement | 1,000 | | Damaged passport replacement | 500 |

Add roughly AED 100-150 if you use a typing centre or Tas'heel service point. The app is cheaper.

Watch out: The AED 1,000 fee for a lost passport united arab emirates is not negotiable, and ICP runs a security check that can delay the replacement by 5-10 working days. Lose two in five years and expect questions.

Honestly, most clients I see overpay because they walk into a service centre when the ICP smart app would have done the same job from their sofa.

How to apply — and the documents ICP actually asks for

Three channels work: the ICP smart app (iOS/Android), icp.gov.ae, or any approved Tas'heel/typing centre. Renewals are almost always faster through the app.

You'll need:

Emirates ID (valid, not expired)
Family Book (Khulasat Al Qaid) — original or scanned copy
Current or previous passport
A recent photo meeting ICP biometric specs: white background, no glasses, neutral expression, 4.5 x 3.5 cm
For minors: father's written approval and his Emirates ID

The photo trips people up more than anything else. ICP rejects roughly one in five photos on first upload — the lighting, the background tint, or a hint of a smile. Get it done at an authorised photo studio if you're unsure. AED 25 well spent.

For a newborn's first passport united arab emirates, you also need the birth certificate attested by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, plus the child's added entry in the father's Family Book. Without the Family Book update, ICP will not issue. I've seen parents try to skip this step. It never works.

Renewals submitted before 6 pm are often approved by the next morning. Collection is from any ICP customer happiness centre, or delivery via Emirates Post for AED 15-20.

A rhetorical one: if the app does it in 48 hours for AED 300, why are you queuing in person?

Renewing early, replacing a lost one, and the urgent track

ICP lets you renew within six months of expiry — and you should, because many countries (Schengen included) require at least six months' validity on entry.

The urgent track exists. Pay the extra AED 150, submit before noon, and you can collect the same working day from the Al Barsha or Abu Dhabi headquarters centres. Don't expect this to work on a Friday afternoon or during Eid.

Lost passports are a different animal. You must:

File a police report at the nearest station within 48 hours.
Submit the report to ICP with a written explanation.
Pay the AED 1,000 replacement fee.
Wait for the security clearance — usually 5-10 working days, sometimes longer if you've reported a loss before.

Lost it abroad? Go to the nearest UAE embassy or consulate. They'll issue an emergency travel document to get you home, then you apply for a full replacement once you land. The emergency document typically costs AED 150 equivalent and is valid only for the return journey.

The thing most people miss: report it fast. Delay beyond 48 hours and ICP can treat it as negligence, which complicates the file.

This is where things get sharp. Under UAE personal status law and ICP practice, a minor's passport united arab emirates application requires the father's consent — he's the legal guardian (wali) by default, even after divorce, unless a court order says otherwise.

If you're a divorced mother with physical custody, you still need the father's signature or a court order substituting it. ICP will not issue the passport on the mother's authority alone. Frankly, this catches a lot of mothers off guard, especially when the father is uncooperative or abroad.

The workaround is a guardianship variation order from the Personal Status Court under Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024 on Personal Status. It takes 2-4 months on average. Start early if you know there's a custody dispute brewing.

For travel without one parent — even with a valid passport — Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports can request a no-objection certificate from the absent parent. Not always, but enough times that I tell clients to carry one. See our child travel and custody overview for the consent forms most airlines accept.

Key dates to remember: Renew 6 months before expiry. File lost-passport police reports within 48 hours. Court guardianship orders take 2-4 months.

Visa-free access and what the passport united arab emirates actually gets you

As of mid-2025, the UAE passport ranks among the top 10 globally for visa-free or visa-on-arrival access, covering 180+ destinations according to the Henley Passport Index.[3] Schengen, UK, Japan, South Korea, most of Latin America, all of the GCC — open doors.

Notable exceptions where you still need a visa in advance: the United States (B1/B2), Canada (eTA doesn't apply — you need a full visitor visa unless you hold a US visa), Australia (ETA available online), and China (now visa-free for 30 days as of late 2024, but check before flying).

A reminder I give every client travelling on a UAE passport: the visa-free status is a privilege, not a right. Overstay once in Europe and the next Schengen application gets ugly fast.

If you also hold a second nationality, declare it to ICP. The UAE allows dual citizenship in limited cases under the 2021 nationality amendments, but undisclosed dual nationality can create problems at exit when biometric records don't match.

Common rejections — and how to avoid the second trip

In my experience, ICP rejections cluster around four issues:

Photo non-compliance — wrong background, glasses, expression
Emirates ID expired or mismatched — renew the EID first, then apply for the passport
Family Book outdated — particularly for newborns or new marriages not yet recorded
Outstanding fines — unpaid traffic or court fines can block passport issuance

Clear the fines before you apply. ICP's system links to the Ministry of Interior database, and any flag stops the application cold. Check your status on the MOI fines portal before starting.

One last thing. Keep a colour scan of your passport on your phone and one in your email. Sounds obvious. You'd be surprised.

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →

Citations:

[1] Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 on Nationality and Passports, as amended. UAE Ministry of Justice consolidated text.

[2] Federal Decree-Law No. 16 of 2017 amending the Nationality and Passports Law. Official Gazette, Issue 625.

[3] Henley & Partners Passport Index, Q2 2025 ranking. henleyglobal.com/passport-index.

[4] Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) — Passport Services fee schedule and procedures. icp.gov.ae.

[5] Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024 on Personal Status (UAE).