Emirates ID Renewal: What ICP Requires, What It Costs and How to Apply
You renew an Emirates ID through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), using the ICP Smart Services website or the ICP Smart App with a UAE Pass login. ICP lists the service as taking about 5 days. Residents pay AED 100 for each year of residence, UAE nationals pay AED 100 or AED 200 depending on age, and anyone aged 15 or over has to give fingerprints and a signature at an ICP service centre when the system asks for it. This is the pillar guide for renewal; the sections below link to our detailed guides on early renewal, rejections, fines, lost cards and tracking.
For the official service page, see ICP’s Identity Card Renewal service. For a longer walkthrough by nationality, see our Emirates ID renewal guide.
Who Can Renew, and How Early
ICP allows renewal once the card has expired, or when the time left is short enough. The window is different for nationals and non-nationals, and it is the first thing to check before you start.
| Applicant | When you can renew |
|---|---|
| UAE nationals | Card expired, or less than one year left before expiry |
| Residents (non-UAE nationals) | Card expired, or less than six months left before expiry |
| GCC citizens | Renewed under their own category, with a five-year card |
Renewing early can change your residence dates, so read our guide on renewing an Emirates ID early and the update on the 12-month early window for nationals before you apply months ahead.
The application can be made by the person themselves once they reach legal age, by the head of the family, by a guardian or by a legally authorised representative. Your passport must be valid for at least three months. If both your Emirates ID and your passport are due, ICP asks you to use its combined Emirates ID and passport renewal service instead.
Emirates ID Renewal Fees and Fines
| Item | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal fee | AED 100 for each year of residence | Residents |
| Smart Application fee | AED 100 | Residents and GCC citizens |
| Five-year card | AED 100 | UAE nationals under 21 |
| Ten-year card | AED 200 | UAE nationals aged 21 and over |
| GCC citizen renewal | AED 100 for a five-year card | GCC citizens |
| Urgent service | AED 150, available only at ICP service centres | Anyone who applies in person for the urgent route |
| Late renewal fine | AED 20 for each day of delay, up to AED 1,000 | Cards renewed after the permitted period has ended |
| Late reporting of a data change | AED 20 for each day of delay, up to AED 1,000 | Changes not reported within 30 days |
Courier delivery for the standard service has its own charge that ICP confirms at checkout, so the amounts above are the service fees only. For how the daily fine builds up and who can ask for an exemption, see our guide on the Emirates ID renewal fine.
A Sample Case (Figures Are Illustrative)
The person and dates in this example are made up, and the fees are the ones ICP lists above. Say a resident renews a card that comes with two years of residence. ICP lists AED 100 for each year, so AED 200, plus the AED 100 Smart Application fee, which adds up to AED 300 on those listings before any courier charge. Now say the same person waits until the card has been expired for 12 days past the permitted period. The fine would be 12 x AED 20, or AED 240. The cap of AED 1,000 is reached after 50 days of delay, so after that point the fine stops growing, but the card is still unusable until it is renewed.
Documents You Need
ICP pulls most of your details from its own records, so the upload list is short. Have these ready before you open the portal:
- A recent personal photograph. It must not be identical to the photo printed on your current card.
- Your passport, valid for at least three months.
- Supporting papers only if the data ICP retrieves is incomplete or has changed. ICP asks you to attach documents when its automatic data retrieval fails.
- A UAE Pass account, because the service requires a UAE Pass login.
Step-by-Step: How to Renew Your Emirates ID Online
- Open the service. Use the ICP Smart Services website or the ICP Smart App directly. Do not enter your details on look-alike sites, and sign in with UAE Pass.
- Review the form. ICP fills in your retrieved data. Check each field and correct anything that is wrong before you continue.
- Attach documents if asked. This only happens when automatic data retrieval fails.
- Pay the fees listed for your category.
- Give fingerprints and a signature if required. Anyone aged 15 or over completes this at an ICP service centre when the application needs it. See our guide to booking a biometric appointment.
- Receive the card. The standard service is delivered by an authorised courier. The urgent service is collected from an ICP centre. Follow progress with our guide to tracking an Emirates ID application.
Residents: How Renewal Links to Your Residence
For residents, ICP says the Emirates ID renewal is submitted together with the residence application on a unified residence and identity form, in every emirate except Dubai. It also requires the necessary approvals and a medical examination with a ‘fit’ result. In practice that means a resident’s card is usually renewed alongside the residence permit, not on its own.
Dubai works differently, so Dubai residents should confirm the route with GDRFA Dubai on 800 5111 before they apply. If your application is returned for changes, complete them within the period shown, because ICP cancels applications that are not finished in time.
When You Cannot Avoid a Centre Visit
- Fingerprints and signature: required in person for anyone aged 15 or over when the system calls for them.
- Urgent service: you must go to an ICP service centre to start it with a service officer.
- Returned application: if ICP sends it back for amendment, you must fix it and resubmit. Our guide on a rejected Emirates ID renewal covers the usual causes.
- Lost or damaged card: that is a separate replacement service, covered in our guide to replacing a lost Emirates ID.
Why a Lapsed Emirates ID Causes Problems
The Emirates ID is used across banking, telecom, health insurance and government e-services, and many of them check that it is valid. An expired card can hold up those services and, once the permitted period ends, starts to cost AED 20 a day. Check your expiry date, make sure the mobile number linked to your ICP record is current, and start the renewal once you are inside your window. To see everything the card is used for, read our guide to what you can use an Emirates ID for.
Where to Go Next
- Emirates ID early renewal: what happens to your visa months
- Emirates ID renewal fine and exemptions
- Emirates ID renewal rejected: reasons and fixes
- Track your Emirates ID application
- Replace a lost Emirates ID
