How to Renew Your Passport and Emirates ID in the UAE (2026 Guide)

Renewing your passport and Emirates ID in the UAE used to mean two applications, two queues, and two sets of fees. For Emirati citizens, that has changed. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) now lets nationals renew both documents in one online step. For expat residents, the two stay separate, and the order you do them in matters. Get the sequence wrong and your Emirates ID can end up showing an old passport number. That quietly breaks visa renewals, bank checks, and property deals later. This guide covers how the new one-step service works, who can use it, what expats should do instead, and the fees, documents, and deadlines that apply in 2026.

Quick summary

What is the new one-step passport and Emirates ID renewal?

The service came directly from public feedback gathered at the ICP Zero Bureaucracy Expo, where citizens flagged mismatched expiry dates as a recurring frustration. According to the ICP, the unified process is designed to cut processing time by at least 50 percent and reduce renewal-related inquiries and calls by around 40 percent, as reported by Khaleej Times. It is part of the wider Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2025.

Who can use the one-step service?

The combined renewal is for UAE nationals only. Expat residents renew their passport and Emirates ID through separate channels, covered further below. You qualify for the one-step service when your UAE passport has expired or is about to expire, and your Emirates ID is due to expire within the next six months. The app checks both conditions automatically and only shows the combined option when you meet them.

A few useful details. The service covers citizens living inside the UAE and those abroad, who can renew through UAE embassies. It is available for all age groups, including minors, where a parent or guardian completes the application. If your Emirates ID still has well over six months of validity, the app will process the passport on its own rather than force an early ID renewal.

How to renew your passport and Emirates ID in one step

For eligible Emirati citizens, the full process runs inside the UAEICP smart app:

1. Log in with your UAE Pass account.
2. Select the option to renew your passport or Emirates ID.
3. Accept the unified renewal option when the app offers it.
4. Confirm or update your personal information.
5. Upload one compliant passport photo for both documents.
6. Make a single combined payment.
7. Track the application status digitally until your documents are issued.

Because the data and photo are submitted once, there is no second form and no repeated payment. The two expiry dates are realigned, so your passport and Emirates ID stay in sync going forward.

Renewing your Emirates ID as an expat

If you are a resident rather than a citizen, the one-step service does not apply to you. Your passport is issued by your home country, usually through your embassy or consulate in the UAE, and your Emirates ID is renewed through ICP and tied to your residency visa. These are two different processes with two different authorities.

Do you need to update your Emirates ID after renewing your passport?

Yes. This is the single most common mistake we see at Best Solution. Renewing your passport does not update your Emirates ID. When you get a new passport, the new number is not linked to your card, so your Emirates ID still shows the old one. After that, any transaction that checks the two against each other throws up a mismatch. That includes visa renewals, labour contract updates, bank KYC checks, and property deals. Each mismatch then needs a manual fix.

The correct sequence for expats is simple. Renew your passport first if it is due. Once the new passport is in hand, update your Emirates ID record to reflect the new passport number. Do not try to update the Emirates ID before the new passport exists, and do not assume ICP updates it for you. The update is a separate application you have to initiate.

It also helps to know that the Emirates ID and the residency visa are linked but distinct. The visa renewal updates your residency stamp; the Emirates ID renewal updates the physical card and the ICP record. If your visa is renewed but the card is not updated to the new expiry, your Emirates ID will still show an expired date, and banks or employers checking it may flag you as non-compliant even though your visa is valid.

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Citizens vs expats at a glance

Emirates ID renewal fees, grace period, and fines

The Emirates ID card fee is AED 100 for each year of validity, plus ICP service fees and a delivery charge. You can renew from up to six months before expiry. Official fee and process details are published on the UAE Government portal u.ae.

After your Emirates ID expires, you get a 30-day grace period to renew without penalty. After that, a late fine of AED 20 per day applies, capped at a maximum of AED 1,000. The detail most people miss is that the fine accrues daily from the expiry date, not from the day you notice. Leave a card expired for around 60 days and you reach the AED 1,000 ceiling. Outstanding fines must be cleared before a renewal can be processed, and in most cases they cannot be waived or deferred.

Documents required for renewal

• For UAE nationals: a valid passport and the family book.
• For expat residents: a valid passport, a valid (renewed) residency visa, and a recent photograph if requested. Children under 15 need a passport, a residence visa, and a birth certificate.

Anyone aged 15 or over may be asked to complete fingerprint and signature biometrics at an ICP service centre as part of the renewal.

How long does Emirates ID renewal take?

On a clean file, the unified service is noticeably faster than the old route. Under the previous process, an expat Emirates ID renewal tied to an employment visa typically involved two authority touchpoints, an ICP submission and a separate residency step, and ran around 10 to 15 working days from start to card in hand.

With the integrated process, the same clean file at Best Solution now runs in a single submission and is usually completed in 5 to 8 working days on an active, valid residency. Where clients use premium or VIP service channels, same-day or next-day card collection is available. One client needed VIP medical, Emirates ID, and biometrics in a single day, an outcome that was simply not possible under the old multi-authority sequence. This is handled by our PRO and document clearing team.

When the one-step service does not apply

The combined renewal assumes a clean, straightforward file. In four situations it will not run as described, and you should resolve the underlying issue first:

• Outstanding fines. ICP will reject the renewal until any accumulated daily fines are paid in full. The portal does not waive or defer them.
• Data needing correction. If your Emirates ID has a misspelled name, wrong date of birth, or an old passport number, that error has to be fixed through a separate ICP amendment before you renew. Renewing over an uncorrected error either fails verification or reissues the same mistake.
• Minors under 15. Renewals for children follow a different route with guardian documentation, and sometimes in-person guardian attendance, especially if the guardian’s own residency has changed since the child’s last card.
• Residency complications. An overstay, a cancelled employer, or a pending labour dispute will surface during ICP verification and must be resolved before the Emirates ID can be renewed.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most expensive mistake is letting your Emirates ID lapse past the 30-day grace period and discovering it at a transaction that needs a valid card, after the daily fine has already built up. Renewing on time, or even early, is the cheapest insurance against it.

The most time-costly mistake is a rejected photo. ICP’s photo rules are strict: white background, set dimensions, no glasses, and a specific face ratio. Many standard photo booths do not apply these by default. A photo that passes at a retail booth is often rejected at the typing centre. That means a new photo, a return visit, and two to four extra working days on what should have been one visit.

How Best Solution handles your renewal

Best Solution has worked in Business Bay since 2014. The firm is led by CEO Essa Al Harthi, an Emirati national and former PRO officer with more than 23 years in UAE government relations. PRO Specialist Carol Dsilva runs the full document lifecycle as a dedicated role. That covers Emirates ID applications, passport-related ICP updates, establishment card renewals, and government approvals. The firm has handled more than 5,000 company formations since 2014, each with its own Emirates ID and residency processing. It holds a 4.8 out of 5 Google rating across more than 200 reviews, many of which mention same-day Emirates ID and biometrics.

On Emirates ID and passport renewal, the PRO team handles the process end to end: document preparation and a specification check covering photo, supporting documents, and data consistency; ICP typing centre submission; fine identification and clearance; the passport-to-Emirates-ID linkage update after a passport renewal; and collection and delivery of the finished card. You do not visit a government office or typing centre yourself. See our full Emirates ID services.