Emirates ID: Cost, Status Checks and Renewal

The Emirates ID is the UAE identity card, issued by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) ^[1]Emirates ID issuance service (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, ICP). If you move for a job, you get it as part of your residence visa. Since 11 April 2022 there has been no visa sticker in the passport, so the card is the proof that you live in the UAE ^[2]Emirates ID replaces the visa sticker (Gulf News). This guide covers what it costs, how to check its progress, how renewal works and what to do if you lose it.

Last reviewed 3 November 2026. The session that wrote this guide could not open the UAE government portal, so several rules were read from search results quoting it; the Sources list says which.

The headline picture

When you get it

On an employment visa, the Emirates ID is not a separate application. Since April 2022 the residence permit and the Emirates ID are one process ^[2]Emirates ID replaces the visa sticker (Gulf News):

1. Your employer applies for your entry permit, and you enter the UAE within 60 days of it being issued ^[12]Residence visa for work (Dubai.ae, the Dubai government portal).
2. You take the medical fitness test; in Dubai, at a centre approved by the Dubai Health Authority ^[13]DHA medical fitness test, cost and process (Takween Advisory, September 2026).
3. You give your fingerprints and photo at an ICP centre for the Emirates ID. Ask your employer who books the appointment.
4. The residence visa is issued and the Emirates ID follows.

The visa timeline tool shows each step with who does it and the time limits. The Moving to Dubai from the UK guide puts the visa among the other steps of the move.

What it costs

ICP charges AED 100 for each year of validity plus an AED 100 smart services fee, so a two-year card costs AED 300 ^[1]Emirates ID issuance service (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, ICP). Your partner and children need a card each, at the same fee, once their residence visas are issued; the Family residence visa guide covers sponsoring them. Ask your employer whether the package pays for your family's cards as well as yours.

What you need it for

Most of the first month's admin waits for the card:

• A bank account. Some banks open an account in their app with a scan of your Emirates ID; Mashreq's NEO is one ^[3]NEO savings account (Mashreq). The Banking guide covers what to do before the card arrives.
• A driving licence. Dubai exchanges a UK licence once you hold your residence visa and Emirates ID ^[4]Driving licence exchange, service 121 (Roads and Transport Authority). The Driving licence guide has the steps.
• Flying back into the UAE. With no sticker in the passport, airport and airline staff check your residence through the Emirates ID, so carry it when you travel ^[5]Why Emirates ID is required for expats flying back to UAE (Gulf News).

Checking its progress

ICP's website has an ID card status service, and the UAEICP app shows the same, signed in with UAE PASS. Reports describe checking with the application number on your receipt ^[6]How to track your Emirates ID application status in the UAE (Emirates 24/7). If the status has not moved for a while and your employer made the application, ask them for the receipt and an update before you go to an ICP centre yourself.

The digital version

Your Emirates ID can be shown on your phone, through the UAE PASS app or the UAEICP app ^[7]Three ways you can access the digital version of your Emirates ID (Gulf News). It is accepted for many services, but carry the card itself for travel and anywhere that asks for it.

Renewing it

As an expatriate resident you renew the Emirates ID when your residence visa is renewed, not on its own ^[8]Renewing Emirates ID (UAE government portal). For an employment visa your employer starts the renewal, so ask them about timing a couple of months before the visa's expiry date.

Once the card expires you have 30 days to apply for renewal before late fines apply ^[8]Renewing Emirates ID (UAE government portal). The fine has been reported as AED 20 a day, up to AED 1,000 ^[9]What's the grace period, fine for renewing Emirates ID? (Khaleej Times) and Dhs20 per day fine for delayed....

If you lose it or it is damaged

Report it to ICP and apply for a replacement, so that the lost card is cancelled ^[10]Replacing a lost or damaged Emirates ID card (UAE government portal). You can apply through ICP's website or app, or at an ICP centre ^[10]Replacing a lost or damaged Emirates ID card (UAE government portal) ^[11]How to replace a lost Emirates ID in the UAE (Gulf News) and How to replace lost Emirates ID in 24 hours (K.... The replacement fees quoted in news reports differ ^[11]How to replace a lost Emirates ID in the UAE (Gulf News) and How to replace lost Emirates ID in 24 hours (K..., so check the current amount in the UAEICP app before you pay.

What this guide does not cover

• Visas that do not need an employer, such as the golden visa: the golden visa checker.
• Emirates IDs for UAE nationals.
• Changing jobs or leaving the UAE, when your visa is cancelled: the Keeping your options open guide covers the cancellation and its grace period.

It is planning information, not legal advice. Your employer applies for the visa and the card, so check the current rules with them or with ICP.

Next steps

1. Follow the visa steps in order with the visa timeline tool.
2. Add your family's Emirates ID fees to the first-month cash calculator.
3. Read the Banking guide before the card arrives, so you know which account you can open first.