---
title: Getting Your Emirates ID in the UAE
country: uae
service: "emirates-id"
category: identification
difficulty: moderate
estimated_time: "First-time issuance typically completes within 5 working days after the application; 24-hour urgent service available for UAE/GCC nationals and for expat replacement only."
cost_range: "AED 100-300 application + AED 100 smart-service fee + AED 150 if urgent"
last_verified: 2026-05-11
canonical: https://publicservices.guide/uae/emirates-id/
status: current
confidence: low
tags:
  - "first-week"
  - mandatory
  - icp
  - identification
sources:
  - https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e5a
  - https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e5b
  - https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e5d
  - https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/emirates-id
---

# Getting Your Emirates ID in the UAE

**Country:** 🇦🇪 UAE  
**Last verified:** 2026-05-11  
**Estimated time:** First-time issuance typically completes within 5 working days after the application; 24-hour urgent service available for UAE/GCC nationals and for expat replacement only.  
**Cost:** AED 100-300 application + AED 100 smart-service fee + AED 150 if urgent

## Required documents

- **Passport** *(جواز السفر)*
  - Where to get: Your country of citizenship
  - Required: At least 3 months remaining validity
  - _Note:_ ICP captures the passport details at the biometric appointment. Your residence-visa stamp inside the passport links the Emirates ID issuance to your visa-validity period.
- **Personal Photo** *(صورة شخصية)*
  - Standard: ICAO-compliant — biometric photograph with neutral background
  - Required: Captured at the ICP Customer Happiness Centre as part of the biometric appointment, or submitted via the ICP Smart App for ICAO-conforming digital uploads
  - _Note:_ Per ICP service-card terms, the personal photograph must comply with the standards approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
- **Proof of UAE residence** *(إثبات الإقامة في الإمارات)*
  - For employees: Employment contract or certificate from a competent authority — ministry, government or semi-government entity, free-zone authority, Sheikh's office, or pension letter
  - For investors: Valid trade, industrial, or agricultural licence, OR property-purchase contract from an approved developer
  - For property owners: Proof of property ownership, government-housing certificate, or final inheritance ruling for heirs
  - For students: Certificate from a competent authority confirming admission or ongoing study
  - _Note:_ ICP's required-documents list is category-specific. Most expat residents fall under the employee category; the employer typically uploads documentation through institutional linkage.

## Costs

- **New Identity Card, resident — per year of residence:** 100 AED — Total scales with residence-visa validity (e.g. AED 200 for a 2-year card).
- **Smart Service fee:** 100 AED — Applied to applications submitted via the ICP Smart Services website or ICP Smart App.
- **Urgent service fee (24-hour issuance):** 150 AED — Available to UAE nationals and GCC nationals for new issuance, renewal, and replacement; available to non-GCC expatriate residents for replacement only.
- **Replacement (lost or damaged):** 300 AED — Replacement card retains the same validity period as the lost or damaged card.
- **Data update (phone number or address):** 50 AED — The data-update service is available only via the ICP Smart Services website or app — not at Customer Happiness Centres.

## Steps

### 1. Choose the Right Application Channel

- If you are an expatriate resident, your employer (sponsor) typically initiates the Emirates ID application as part of the unified residence-permit + Emirates ID application via ICP.
- If you are a UAE national or GCC national applying directly, use the ICP Smart Services website or the ICP Smart App (UAEICP) with UAE Pass login.
- If you need 24-hour urgent issuance, visit a Customer Happiness Centre directly — this channel is in-person only and is open to UAE nationals, GCC nationals (any service), and non-GCC expatriate residents (replacement only).

> **Tip:** ICP Smart Services is the digital channel; Customer Happiness Centres are the in-person channel. Most residents do both — submit online, attend the biometric appointment in person.

_Links:_
- [ICP Smart Services portal](https://smartservices.icp.gov.ae/)

### 2. Prepare Your Documents

- Have your passport in hand, with at least 3 months remaining validity.
- Have your residence-visa stamp ready — your Emirates ID is linked to the residence visa.
- Prepare proof of UAE residence appropriate to your category — employment contract (for employees), trade licence (for investors), property certificate (for property owners), study certificate (for students).

> **Tip:** Most documents auto-populate via institutional linkage during the online application. Manual upload covers only the gaps where the system cannot retrieve data automatically.

### 3. Submit the Application Online

- Sign in to the ICP Smart Services website or the ICP Smart App (UAEICP) using UAE Pass.
- Choose New Identity Card Issuance, Renewal, Replacement, or Data Update — whichever applies.
- Review the application form with the retrieved data, adjust as needed, attach any missing documents, and pay the prescribed fees.

> **Tip:** The unified residence + Emirates ID application form is the default in all emirates except Dubai. Dubai-issued residence visas follow a parallel GDRFA Dubai workflow.

_Links:_
- [ICP main services portal](https://icp.gov.ae/en/)

### 4. Attend the Biometric Appointment (Age 15+)

- Book the appointment through ICP Smart Services.
- Attend at one of the ten ICP Customer Happiness Centres with your original passport.
- Complete the fingerprint-and-signature capture in person — required for everyone 15 and older.

> **Tip:** Per ICP service-card terms, individuals who have completed 15 years of age are required to complete the fingerprint and signature procedures through the Authority's service centres. Even if your application is fully digital up to this point, this step is in-person.

### 5. Track and Receive the Card

- Track your application status via the ICP Smart Services portal or the ICP Smart App.
- Standard service: the new Emirates ID is delivered through the authorised courier.
- Urgent service: collect the Emirates ID in person at the Customer Happiness Centre where you booked the urgent slot.

> **Tip:** Allow up to 5 working days for the standard service. Photograph the paper receipt or application confirmation as interim ID until the card arrives.

### 6. Keep Your Data Current

- Report any change to your personal or civil data — phone number, address, marital status — within 30 days from the date the change occurred.
- Use the Data Update service via the ICP Smart Services website or app — fee AED 50.
- Renew your Emirates ID within 6 months before expiry to avoid late fees of AED 20 per day (capped at AED 1,000).

> **Tip:** Late reporting of data changes incurs the same AED 20-per-day fine, capped at AED 1,000. ICP also offers a separate Request for Exemption from Delay Fees service, granted at ICP discretion under approved exemption decisions.

## FAQ

### Who needs an Emirates ID?

All UAE citizens and residents. The card is mandatory for everyone living in the UAE, regardless of nationality. It is also a legal requirement to carry the card at all times.

### How long does it take to get the Emirates ID?

Per the ICP service card, the standard service-completion duration is 5 working days. A 24-hour urgent service is available at the Customer Happiness Centres for UAE nationals and GCC nationals (any service type), and for non-GCC expatriate residents in the case of replacement of lost or damaged cards.

### How long is my Emirates ID valid?

For expatriate residents, the validity is linked to your residence-visa duration — most commonly 2 years. UAE nationals under 21 receive a 5-year card; UAE nationals 21 and older receive a 10-year card. GCC nationals receive a 5-year card.

### When can I renew my Emirates ID?

You can renew as early as 6 months before expiry, with no late fee. If you renew within 30 days after expiry, no late fee applies. After 30 days post-expiry, a late fee of AED 20 per day applies, capped at AED 1,000.

### What if I lose my Emirates ID?

Report the loss to ICP within 7 days of the date of loss. Apply for a replacement via the ICP Smart Services website, the ICP Smart App, or any Customer Happiness Centre. The replacement fee is AED 300, plus AED 100 for online submission and AED 150 for urgent (24-hour) service. The replacement card keeps the same validity period as the lost card.

### What happens to my Emirates ID when I leave the UAE?

Your Emirates ID is cancelled automatically when your residence visa is cancelled. Your sponsor (employer or family sponsor) submits the residence-visa cancellation — through GDRFA Dubai if your visa was issued in Dubai, or through ICP for visas issued in any other emirate.

### Can my employer keep my Emirates ID?

No. Per ICP, it is against the law for companies to withhold the Emirates ID of their employees, customers, or visitors. Companies may record the personal data printed on the card, but they cannot seize the card itself.

### How do I update my phone number or address?

Use the Data Update service via the ICP Smart Services website or the ICP Smart App. The fee is AED 50 (smart-service charge). Updates are not available at Customer Happiness Centres for non-visa-holder residents; visitors holding a visa may use in-person updates. Report any change within 30 days to avoid a late fee of AED 20 per day.

### Where do I do the biometric appointment?

At any of the ten ICP Customer Happiness Centres: Khalifa, Ajman, Sharjah, Al Ghazal, Al Rashidiya, Ras Al Khaima, Al Barsha, Al Jazira, Al Ain, or Fujairah. The in-person fingerprint-and-signature step is required for everyone aged 15 and older. Book the appointment via UAE Pass through ICP Smart Services.

### Can I use Google Translate or the Arabic version of the ICP portal?

Yes. ICP services are published in both English and Arabic, and the ICP Smart Services site offers a language toggle. The mobile app (UAEICP) supports both languages. Note that some Customer Happiness Centre information signs default to Arabic; English-speaking officers are available.

## Local tips

- The Emirates ID («الهوية الإماراتية») is mandatory for everyone living in the UAE — citizens, GCC nationals, and resident expatriates alike. Carrying it at all times is a legal requirement.
- Per Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), it is against the law for any employer to withhold your Emirates ID. Companies may record your card data, but they cannot seize the card itself.
- ICP Smart Services (the digital channel, available via the ICP website and the UAEICP mobile app on Apple and Google) covers application submission, fee payment, fingerprint-appointment booking, and card tracking. UAE Pass login is required.

## Sources

- [Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security](https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e5a) — accessed 2026-05-11 — _T1_ — ICP's New Identity Card Issuance service card lists the canonical procedural steps, fee schedule (AED 100 per year for residents; AED 100 smart-service fee; AED 150 urgent), required documents per eligibility category (Citizen / Resident / GCC), and service-completion duration (5 days). It also documents the requirement that individuals aged 15 and older complete fingerprint and signature procedures in person at ICP Customer Happiness Centres.
- [Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security](https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e5b) — accessed 2026-05-11 — _T1_ — ICP's Issue Replacement for lost or damaged ID Card service card establishes the AED 300 replacement fee, AED 150 urgent service fee, and the rule that the replacement card retains the same validity period as the lost or damaged card. It also requires that lost cards be reported to ICP within 7 days of the date of loss.
- [Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security](https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e5d) — accessed 2026-05-11 — _T1_ — ICP's Identity Card Renewal service card establishes the renewal fee schedule (AED 100 per year for residents; AED 100 smart-service fee), the rule that renewal can be initiated 6 months before expiry, and the late-fee of AED 20 per day (capped at AED 1,000) starting one month after expiry. It also documents that renewal of an expired passport is required before applying for Identity Card renewal.
- [u.ae — UAE Government Portal](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/emirates-id) — accessed 2026-05-11 — _T1_ — The u.ae federal aggregator's Emirates ID page documents that the Emirates ID is mandatory for all UAE citizens and residents to apply for and carry at all times. It establishes the auto-cancellation of Emirates ID when the residence visa is cancelled (via GDRFA Dubai for Dubai-issued visas or ICP for other emirates), the 24-hour urgent service eligibility (UAE/GCC nationals + non-GCC residents for replacement only), and the legal prohibition on companies withholding employees' Emirates ID cards.

---

Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state.
Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/uae/emirates-id/