How to Get a Police Clearance Certificate in Dubai: Fees, Documents and Steps

October 24, 2026

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Last updated: 24 October 2026

The police clearance certificate Dubai Police issues, also called a good conduct certificate, costs AED 200 for residents plus AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees when you apply online through the Dubai Police app or website. Dubai Police lists a completion time of 5 working days, and the certificate is valid for 3 months from the date it is issued.

Former residents can apply from abroad for AED 300 (USD 88) plus the same AED 20, as long as they have entered the UAE before. If you have no Emirates ID or no ten-print fingerprint record, you need fingerprints first. This guide covers each route, the documents, the full fee table, tracking, and how to get the certificate attested for use in another country.

Police clearance certificate Dubai: fees and requirements at a glance

All figures below come from the Dubai Police service card for the Police Clearance Certificate. Fees are paid by debit card, credit card or Apple Pay, and they are not refunded.

Item	What Dubai Police lists
Fee for UAE citizens	AED 100
Fee for residents	AED 200
Fee when applying from outside the country	AED 300 or USD 88
Knowledge and innovation fees	AED 20
Extra fee for applying in person at a service centre	AED 100
Completion time	5 working days
Validity	3 months from the date of issue
Who can apply	Citizens, residents, visitors and applicants outside the UAE
Documents from outside the UAE	Personal photo, passport copy, copy of your previous residence visa
Refunds	Fees paid are non-refundable

What the certificate is and who can apply

The certificate confirms your good conduct in the UAE from a security and criminal point of view. Employers, immigration offices, universities and licensing bodies ask for it, both inside the UAE and abroad.

Dubai Police accepts applications from four groups: UAE citizens, UAE residents, visitors, and people outside the UAE. The service card sets three conditions:

You must not be wanted by any authority or have a criminal record that would prevent the certificate being issued.
If you apply from outside the UAE, you must have entered the UAE at some point before.
You are responsible for the accuracy of what you submit, and misusing the certificate leads to legal action.

You can apply with a valid or an expired Emirates ID number, which helps people who have cancelled their visa and left. In practice, many expats in the UAE first need this certificate when they emigrate, because countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK ask for one from every country where the applicant has lived.

How to apply online in the UAE

Residents with an Emirates ID can complete the whole police clearance certificate Dubai application on a phone. Use the Dubai Police app (Android or iOS) or the Police Clearance Certificate service on the Dubai Police website; the steps are the same.

Open the Dubai Police app or website and choose the Police Clearance Certificate service. You can sign in with UAE Pass.
Choose your category: citizen, resident, visitor or outside the UAE.
Enter your Emirates ID number and your email address.
Select the purpose of the certificate and the entity asking for it, for example a private company or a government authority.
Choose the language of the certificate, Arabic or English.
Enter the one-time password (OTP) sent to the mobile number linked to your Emirates ID.
Review your details, then pay the fee online.
Save the reference number. You need it to track the request.

Check that the mobile number linked to your Emirates ID still works before you start, or you cannot complete the OTP step.

Digital channels, including the app, the website and DubaiNow, are open 24 hours a day. Dubai Police also lists its call centre on 901 as a channel for the service.

Applying at a police station or Smart Police Station

You can also apply in person. Dubai Police lists its police stations, open from 7:30 am to 10:00 pm, and its Smart Police Stations, which run 24 hours a day.

Applying in person at a service centre adds AED 100 to the fee, so a resident pays AED 320 instead of AED 220. Unless you need fingerprints taken, the app or website is the cheaper route.

No Emirates ID? Get fingerprinted first

Applicants inside the UAE who have no Emirates ID, such as visitors, must visit a service centre in person during official working hours to have their fingerprints taken. Dubai Police names four police stations for this:

Al Qusais Police Station
Ports Police Station
Al Rashidiya Police Station
Jebel Ali Police Station

Take your passport with you. If you hold an Emirates ID but your renewed card has not reached you yet, you can still apply with your current or expired ID number, and you can check your Emirates ID status on the ICP website in the meantime.

How to apply from outside the UAE

Former residents can apply online from abroad, and the UAE embassy in your country cannot issue the certificate for you. A UAE mission page on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website says the certificate can only be obtained by applying through the websites of Dubai Police or the Ministry of Interior.

Dubai Police lists these documents for applicants outside the UAE:

A personal photo
A copy of your passport
A copy of your previous UAE residence visa

The u.ae government portal also lists two recent passport-size photos, a copy of your last UAE visa, the reason for the application and, where needed, a fingerprint card approved by the UAE embassy.

When you need a fingerprint card

If you are outside the UAE and Dubai Police has no ten-print fingerprint record for you, you must send a ten-print fingerprint card certified by the UAE embassy. The u.ae portal explains the steps:

Get a fingerprint card from the police in the country where you now live. It is an official police report that confirms your identity through your biometrics and all ten fingerprints.
Have the fingerprint card attested by the UAE embassy in that country.
Apply online to Dubai Police, choose the outside the UAE category, upload your documents and the attested card, and pay AED 300 (USD 88) plus AED 20.

Total cost by route

The knowledge and innovation fees of AED 20 are added to the service fee, and the in-person charge of AED 100 applies only when you apply at a service centre. These totals follow the Dubai Police fee list.

Applicant and route	Service fee	Extra fees	Total
Resident, online	AED 200	AED 20	AED 220
Resident, in person at a service centre	AED 200	AED 20 plus AED 100	AED 320
UAE citizen, online	AED 100	AED 20	AED 120
UAE citizen, in person at a service centre	AED 100	AED 20 plus AED 100	AED 220
Applicant outside the UAE, online	AED 300 (USD 88)	AED 20	AED 320

Dubai Police does not publish a separate fee line for visitors inside the UAE. Check the amount on the payment screen, because nothing is refunded once paid.

Processing time, delivery and validity

Dubai Police lists a completion time of 5 working days. Gulf News reported in October 2026 that some applicants receive the certificate on the same day they pay, while others wait longer, so plan around the official 5 working days.

The police clearance certificate Dubai Police issues arrives as a digital document at the email address you entered. The certificate is valid for 3 months from the date of issue, and some employers or embassies want one issued more recently than that, so ask the receiving office before you apply.

How to track your application

Your reference number is the key to tracking. Gulf News describes two ways to follow the request and download the certificate:

My Requests: log in to the Dubai Police website or app, open your dashboard and download the certificate once it is issued.
Application Status: enter your reference number to see where the request stands.

If nothing has changed after 5 working days, call the Dubai Police call centre on 901 with your reference number ready.

Dubai Police certificate or MOI certificate?

Two authorities issue police clearance certificates in the UAE. The u.ae portal says the Ministry of Interior (MOI) provides the service through its website, the MOI UAE app and its service centres, while in Dubai the service is available through the Dubai Police website, app and Smart Police Stations.

Emirates 24|7 describes the Dubai Police certificate as emirate level, covering your history in Dubai, and the MOI certificate as federal level, covering all emirates. Both are regulated by Ministerial Decision No. 600 of 2024 on the issuance of police clearance certificates. Gulf News has reported that residents of Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain apply through the MOI UAE app, logging in with UAE Pass.

Ask the organisation requesting the certificate which one it wants, since some name the issuing authority in their instructions. This guide covers the Dubai Police certificate; MOI fees are set separately and are not part of the tables above.

Attesting the certificate for use abroad

Some countries ask for a UAE document to be attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) before they accept it. For police clearance certificates, MOFA uses only its Digital Attestation route, according to its list of documents available for digital attestation.

Sign in to the MOFA website or the UAE MOFA app with UAE Pass. Non-residents can create a UAE Pass account at uaepass.ae.
Choose the MOFA attestation service, confirm the document was issued in the UAE, and select the issuing authority and document type.
Select the destination country. This decides whether attestation by the UAE embassy or consulate for that country is included.
Upload the original digital PDF from Dubai Police with its verification element, such as the QR code or reference number. A scan or a photo is not accepted.
Pay the fee shown and download the attested document from the email or from My Requests on the MOFA website.

MOFA states that digital attestation of UAE-issued documents is completed within 2 hours during official working hours inside the UAE. The fee depends on the options you choose, and MOFA shows the total before payment.

If you choose the option for the destination country’s embassy in the UAE, MOFA attests the document only, and you complete that embassy’s step yourself. Ask the receiving authority what it needs before you pay, because an application cannot be changed once submitted. For help, MOFA’s contact centre is on 80044444.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most problems come from a few avoidable slips.

Paying more than once. Fees are non-refundable, so do not submit a second request because the first seems slow. Track it first.
The wrong category. A former resident living abroad should choose outside the UAE, not resident.
An old mobile number. The OTP goes to the number linked to your Emirates ID.
Applying in person without a reason. The extra AED 100 buys nothing if you have an Emirates ID and can apply online.
Letting it expire. The certificate lasts 3 months, and some offices want a newer one.
Sending a scan for attestation. MOFA needs the original digital PDF with its QR code or reference number.
Trusting old fee lists. Many websites still show older police clearance certificate Dubai fees. The Dubai Police service card is the reference.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a police clearance certificate in Dubai?

A police clearance certificate in Dubai costs AED 200 for residents, AED 100 for UAE citizens and AED 300 (USD 88) for applicants outside the UAE, according to Dubai Police. Dubai Police also charges AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees, and applying in person at a service centre adds AED 100. A resident applying online therefore pays AED 220 in total.

How long does a Dubai Police clearance certificate take?

A Dubai Police clearance certificate takes up to 5 working days, which is the completion time Dubai Police lists for the service. Some applicants receive it sooner, even on the day they pay, but the official figure is the one to plan around. The certificate arrives by email, and you can follow the request with your reference number in the app or on the website.

Can I get a Dubai police clearance certificate after leaving the UAE?

Yes, you can get a Dubai police clearance certificate after leaving the UAE by applying online in the outside the UAE category. You need a personal photo, a passport copy and a copy of your previous residence visa, and you must have entered the UAE before. If Dubai Police has no ten-print record for you, send a fingerprint card certified by the UAE embassy.

Can I apply with an expired Emirates ID?

Yes, Dubai Police accepts a valid or an expired Emirates ID number for the police clearance certificate application. This lets former residents and people between visas apply online. If you have never had an Emirates ID, you must give fingerprints in person at Al Qusais, Ports, Al Rashidiya or Jebel Ali police station during official hours, or send an embassy-certified fingerprint card from abroad.

How long is a Dubai police clearance certificate valid?

A Dubai police clearance certificate is valid for 3 months from the date of issue, according to Dubai Police. Some employers, universities and immigration offices want a certificate issued more recently than that, so check their rules before you apply. If it expires before you submit it, you need a new certificate and a new fee.

Does a Dubai police clearance certificate need attestation?

A Dubai police clearance certificate needs MOFA attestation only if the country or organisation receiving it asks for it. MOFA attests police clearance certificates through its Digital Attestation service: sign in with UAE Pass, upload the original digital PDF, choose the destination country and pay. Inside the UAE, MOFA completes digital attestation within 2 hours during official working hours.

Key takeaways

The police clearance certificate Dubai Police issues costs AED 200 for residents, AED 100 for citizens and AED 300 from abroad, plus AED 20.
Applying online through the Dubai Police app or website avoids the extra AED 100 in-person fee.
Dubai Police lists 5 working days, and the certificate is valid for 3 months.
A valid or expired Emirates ID number works; without one, give fingerprints at one of four police stations.
From abroad, you need a passport copy, photo and previous visa copy, plus an embassy-certified fingerprint card if no ten-print record exists.
Keep your reference number to track the request, and use MOFA Digital Attestation if the destination country asks for it.