Last updated: 25 October 2026
Emirates ID renewal for residents is done online on the ICP smart services website or the UAEICP app, or in person at an ICP customer happiness centre, and in most emirates it is filed on the same form as your residence visa renewal. You can renew during the last six months before the card expires, and ICP charges AED 100 for each year of residence plus a AED 100 smart application fee.
Leave it too long and a late fine starts: AED 20 a day once a 30-day grace period after expiry has passed, up to AED 1,000. This guide covers the timing, online and in-person steps, documents, fees, fingerprints, delivery, the Emirates ID fine and exemptions, and lost cards.
Emirates ID renewal at a glance
For most expats: renew with your residence, pay per year of residence, and finish before the grace period ends. All figures are from ICP’s renewal service card.
| Item | Residents | GCC nationals | UAE nationals |
|---|---|---|---|
| When you can renew | Last six months, or after expiry | Last six months, or after expiry | Final year, or after expiry |
| Card fee | AED 100 per year of residence | AED 100 (5-year card) | AED 100 (5-year card, under 21) or AED 200 (10-year card, 21 and over) |
| Smart application fee | AED 100 | AED 100 | Not listed |
| Urgent service at ICP centres | Not listed for renewal | AED 150 extra | AED 150 extra |
| Grace period after expiry | 30 days | ||
| Late fine after the grace period | AED 20 per day, maximum AED 1,000 | ||
| ICP service time | 5 days | ||
When you can renew your Emirates ID
Residents and GCC nationals can renew in the final six months before the expiry date, or after the card has expired. UAE nationals can renew in the final year of validity, a window ICP widened from six months to one year on 14 July 2026.
ICP gives a 30-day grace period from the expiry date to complete the renewal, and the late fee only starts after that. In practice, most expats in the UAE renew the card when their employer or sponsor renews the residence visa, because for residents the two run on the same dates.
Renewal with your residence visa or on its own
For residents, the Emirates ID is tied to the residence permit. Since April 2022 the card has replaced the old residence sticker in the passport as proof of residence, so a new residence period means a new card.
- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. ICP’s service card says the ID renewal is submitted together with the residence application through the unified residence and identity form. One application covers both, and the new card follows once the residence is issued.
- Dubai. The unified form does not apply. Residence renewals in Dubai go through GDRFA Dubai, online or at an Amer centre, and the Emirates ID renewal is a separate ICP application. ICP lists the residence renewal as a service the ID renewal depends on, so the residence comes first.
- UAE and GCC nationals. They do not hold a residence permit, so they renew the card on its own. If a national’s passport and Emirates ID are both due, ICP requires the combined Emirates ID and Passport Renewal service.
If your employer or a typing centre handles your visa, ask them to confirm the ID part has been filed. When a residence visa is cancelled, the Emirates ID is cancelled automatically, so renewing the card alone is not a way around an expired or cancelled residence.
How to renew your Emirates ID online
Online renewal works on the ICP Identity Card Renewal service, through the smart services website or the UAEICP app on Android and iOS. Both channels run around the clock and need a UAE Pass login.
- Log in to the ICP smart services website or the UAEICP app with UAE Pass.
- Choose the renewal service. Residents outside Dubai renew the residence and the ID together; Dubai residents and nationals use the Identity Card Renewal service.
- Review the form. ICP fills in most of your details from its records, so correct anything that is out of date, such as your mobile number or address.
- Attach documents only if the system asks for them.
- Upload a recent personal photo. It must meet the ICAO passport photo standard and must not be the same photo printed on your current card.
- Pay the fees online.
- Give fingerprints and a signature at an ICP service centre if your application calls for it.
- Wait for the new card. Standard applications are delivered by an authorised courier.
Keep the application number. If ICP returns the application for changes and you do not make them within the set period, it is cancelled.
Renewing at a customer happiness centre or typing centre
ICP’s renewal card lists customer happiness centres across the country, among them Al Rashidiya and Al Barsha in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, plus ICP offices in Umm Al Quwain and Al Dhafra.
ICP’s FAQ also lists authorised typing offices among its service channels. Typing centres may charge their own service fee on top of the government fees, so ask for the full amount before you pay. If your application is filed by a typing centre, you can follow it with the 010 application number on the receipt.
The urgent service is only started in person at an ICP service centre, with an officer opening the application. For renewals, ICP lists the AED 150 urgent fee for UAE and GCC nationals. Other expatriate residents can use the 24-hour urgent service only to replace a lost or damaged card, according to u.ae.
Documents for Emirates ID renewal
For the ID card itself, residents need only a passport and a personal photo. The rest is for the residence renewal behind it.
- Passport. For the residence renewal, ICP asks for a passport valid for at least six months.
- Personal photo. Recent, ICAO compliant, and different from the one on your current card.
- Medical fitness result. ICP’s resident terms say the renewal needs the required approvals and a medical examination with a “fit” result.
- Valid health insurance. Listed for every residence renewal category.
- Sponsor documents. For employees, a MOHRE work permit or an employment contract. For family members, attested proof of kinship, a lease and a utility bill.
UAE nationals need a passport valid for at least three months. GCC nationals need a passport, a photo and proof of their basis for living in the UAE, such as an employment, study or property document.
Emirates ID renewal fees
ICP sets the resident fee by the length of the residence, so the card fee rises with each year of validity. These are the amounts listed on ICP’s renewal and residence service cards.
| Fee | Amount | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID renewal, residents | AED 100 per year of residence | Expatriate residents |
| Smart application fee | AED 100 | Residents and GCC nationals |
| Emirates ID renewal, GCC nationals (5 years) | AED 100 | GCC nationals living in the UAE |
| Emirates ID renewal, UAE nationals under 21 (5 years) | AED 100 | UAE nationals |
| Emirates ID renewal, UAE nationals 21 and over (10 years) | AED 200 | UAE nationals |
| Urgent service, ICP centres only | AED 150 extra | UAE and GCC nationals |
| Residence permit renewal (outside Dubai) | AED 100 application, AED 100 per year, AED 100 smart fee | Residents renewing through ICP |
As a worked example, a resident renewing for two years pays AED 200 for the card plus the AED 100 smart application fee, which is AED 300 for the ID items on ICP’s card. The residence fees, medical test and insurance are separate, and the payment screen can add further service charges, so check the final total before you confirm.
Biometrics: fingerprints and signature
Anyone aged 15 or over has to complete fingerprint and signature procedures at an ICP service centre. ICP’s renewal steps say this happens “if required”, so not every renewal needs a visit.
If you are called in, book an appointment first. ICP’s FAQ says biometric visits need an appointment, while simple enquiries do not. Teenagers have one shortcut: under ICP’s Basmah 15 initiative, students aged 15 and over can give their ten fingerprints at school instead of visiting a centre.
Processing time and delivery
ICP gives a service completion time of 5 days for an Emirates ID renewal. If it takes longer, check for a step still open on your side, such as a returned application, a pending medical result or a biometrics appointment you have not attended yet.
Standard cards are delivered by an authorised courier, and urgent cards are collected from the ICP centre that issued them. Our Emirates ID status check guide explains how to track the application, follow the Emirates Post delivery and collect the card within the 90-day limit.
The electronic version of the card appears in the UAEICP app once it is issued, which helps when the plastic card is still with the courier.
Emirates ID fine for late renewal
The Emirates ID fine is AED 20 for each day of delay, with a maximum of AED 1,000, and it starts only after the 30-day grace period from the expiry date. ICP’s service card, its FAQ and u.ae all state the same figures.
| Days since the card expired | Late fine |
|---|---|
| 1 to 30 days | None (grace period) |
| 40 days | About AED 200 (10 days at AED 20) |
| 60 days | About AED 600 (30 days at AED 20) |
| 80 days or more | AED 1,000 (maximum reached) |
The fine is charged as part of the renewal, which is why the exemption request below is filed with the renewal application. The amount on your application is what ICP charges; the table only shows how it builds up.
Two other fines are easy to confuse with this one. ICP charges a separate AED 20 a day, up to AED 1,000, if you take more than 30 days to report a change to your personal or civil data. And if your residence visa itself has expired, the much larger UAE overstay fine of AED 50 a day applies once your residence grace period ends.
Exemption from the late renewal fee
ICP runs a Request for Exemption from Delay Fees service on its website and app. You submit it together with the renewal application, with proof for your case, and ICP then accepts it, rejects it or asks for changes. The service card gives a service time of 2 days.
The current service card lists these cases for residents and GCC nationals:
- The Emirates ID expired after the holder was deported, with proof from the authorities.
- The Emirates ID expired while the passport was held because of a court case, with proof from the authorities.
UAE nationals have two further cases linked to nationality records and legal cases. If your reason is different, ask ICP on 600522222 before you assume a waiver applies.
Lost or damaged Emirates ID
A lost or damaged card needs a replacement, not a renewal. Report a lost card to ICP within 7 days, then apply through the UAEICP app, the ICP website, a typing centre or a happiness centre.
The replacement fee is AED 300, plus a AED 100 smart service fee, and the new card keeps the same expiry date as the old one. Residents can use the AED 150 urgent service for a replacement at an ICP centre. If the card simply stopped working because of a manufacturing fault, such as a damaged chip, ICP replaces it free of charge.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting for the expiry date. The six-month window opens early so the card never lapses. Starting late leaves little room for a medical test or a returned application.
- Reusing the old photo. ICP rejects a photo that matches the one on your current card.
- Assuming the employer filed the ID in Dubai. The residence and the ID are separate applications there. Confirm both.
- Ignoring a returned application. If ICP asks for a correction and you miss the deadline, the application is cancelled.
Frequently asked questions
How do I renew my Emirates ID online?
You renew your Emirates ID online on the ICP smart services website or the UAEICP app, logging in with UAE Pass. Choose the renewal service, check the details ICP fills in, upload a new photo, pay the fees and give fingerprints at a service centre if asked. Outside Dubai, residents renew the ID and residence visa on one form. The new card is delivered by courier.
Can I renew my Emirates ID before it expires?
Yes, residents and GCC nationals can renew an Emirates ID during the last six months before it expires, and UAE nationals during the final year. You can also renew after expiry, with a 30-day grace period before any fine. For residents, the renewal normally happens with the residence visa renewal, so the timing follows your visa.
How much is the Emirates ID renewal fee for residents?
The Emirates ID renewal fee for residents is AED 100 for each year of residence, plus a AED 100 smart application fee, according to ICP’s service card. A two-year renewal therefore comes to AED 300 for the ID items. Residence renewal fees, the medical test, insurance and any typing centre charges are paid separately.
What is the fine for an expired Emirates ID?
The fine for an expired Emirates ID is AED 20 for each day of delay, up to a maximum of AED 1,000. It starts only after a 30-day grace period from the expiry date. It is charged as part of the renewal, and residents and GCC nationals can ask for an exemption in specific cases, such as a passport held because of a court case.
Do I need fingerprints to renew my Emirates ID?
You need fingerprints for an Emirates ID renewal only if ICP asks for them. Anyone aged 15 or over must complete fingerprint and signature procedures at an ICP service centre, but ICP’s renewal steps list the visit only where it is required. Book an appointment before you go, and students aged 15 and over can give fingerprints at school under ICP’s Basmah 15 initiative.
How long does Emirates ID renewal take?
Emirates ID renewal takes 5 days, according to the service completion time on ICP’s renewal card. If it takes longer, check for a returned application, a pending medical result or a biometrics appointment. Standard cards are then delivered by an authorised courier, and you can follow the application on the ICP status page with your Emirates ID number.
Key takeaways
- Emirates ID renewal is open in the last six months for residents and GCC nationals, and in the final year for UAE nationals.
- Outside Dubai, residents renew the ID and the residence visa on one ICP form; in Dubai the residence goes through GDRFA first.
- Residents pay AED 100 per year of residence plus a AED 100 smart application fee.
- You need a new ICAO photo, a fit medical result for the residence, and fingerprints if ICP asks.
- The Emirates ID fine is AED 20 a day after a 30-day grace period, up to AED 1,000.
Sources
- Identity Card Renewal, Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP)
- Renewal of residency permits, ICP
- Request for Exemption from Delay Fees, ICP
- Issue Replacement for lost or damaged ID Card, ICP
- Frequently asked questions, ICP
- Emirates ID, The Official Portal of the UAE Government (u.ae)
