If your passport is lost in the UAE, report it to the nearest police station, apply for a new passport at your country’s embassy or consulate in the UAE, then have your residence visa re-stamped on the new passport. In Dubai the police report must first be endorsed by the court, the Public Prosecution and GDRFA before it becomes the lost passport certificate your embassy asks for. Rules for the new passport itself differ by nationality, so the embassy’s own page decides documents and timing.
What do you do first when your passport is lost in the UAE?
The UAE government portal, u.ae, puts the police report first: file it at the police station nearest to where the passport was lost or stolen. Only after that do you apply for a replacement, and the application goes to your country’s embassy in the UAE, not to a UAE authority. The UAE side of the process, the residence visa, comes last, once the new passport is in your hands.
Does it matter where the passport was lost?
Yes, because the authority you start with changes. u.ae splits the guidance into three cases:
- Lost in the UAE: police report, then your embassy in the UAE, then the residence visa re-stamp.
- Lost in your home country: follow your home country’s own lost-passport procedure to get a new passport.
- Lost in a third country: contact your passport-issuing country’s embassy or consulate in that country for its reporting rules and the replacement.
Golden Visa holders whose passport is lost abroad have a separate option, explained in our guide to the Golden Visa return document for a passport lost abroad.
Who writes the letter that goes with the police report?
What you bring to the police depends on who sponsors your residence visa. u.ae lists these requirements:
| Your situation | What u.ae says to submit |
|---|---|
| Sponsored by an employer | A letter in Arabic about the loss, on the employer’s letterhead, addressed to the police department of the emirate that issued your residence visa, plus a photocopy of the employer’s licence and establishment card |
| Sponsored by a family member | A letter signed by the sponsor, plus a photocopy of the sponsor’s passport |
| A minor | The sponsoring parent must be present to endorse the report |
How does the Dubai procedure work, step by step?
For a visa issued in Dubai, u.ae describes a chain of endorsements that turns the police report into a document your embassy will accept:
- Get the police report endorsed by the relevant UAE court, the Public Prosecution and GDRFA in the emirate where your visa was issued.
- Take the endorsed report back to the police station that issued it. The station issues a formal lost passport certificate in Arabic.
- Use the certificate to apply for a new passport at your embassy or consulate in the UAE, after reading that embassy’s own requirements.
- When the new passport is issued, return to GDRFA to have the residence visa stamped on it. GDRFA sets the application process and fees for this step.
What happens to your residence visa after a lost passport?
The residence visa is not lost with the passport: it is re-issued on the new one. According to u.ae, GDRFA issues the residence visa with the same validity as the old one if that visa is still valid. If the visa expired while you were in the UAE, GDRFA issues a new one instead.
If your residence file is held by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) rather than GDRFA Dubai, the ICP service to look for is Amendment of Residency Permit Data. Its page lists a passport and a personal photo as the required documents, and you sign in with UAE PASS through ICP Smart Services or the ICP app. ICP’s customer line, listed on its service page, is 600522222. Not sure which authority holds your file? Our guide to checking your UAE visa status online shows how to find out.
What if the passport is expired or damaged, not lost?
An expired or damaged passport skips the police report and the Dubai endorsement chain: you renew through your embassy or consulate in the UAE, because passports are issued by your own country. The official UAE guidance on u.ae is written for lost passports, and it describes the residence visa moving to a new passport. Whether an expired passport on a still-valid visa needs the same re-stamping before you travel is something to ask GDRFA or ICP directly. ICP also lists a passport valid for no less than six months as a condition for issuing a residence permit, so a passport close to expiry is worth renewing early.
Renewal rules and fees are set by each embassy. For one nationality-specific example, see our report on Pakistan’s e-passport applications and fees in the UAE.
Which authority handles which part?
| Task | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| Report the loss | Nearest UAE police station |
| Endorse the report (Dubai) | UAE court, Public Prosecution and GDRFA |
| Lost passport certificate in Arabic (Dubai) | The police station that issued the report |
| New passport | Your embassy or consulate in the UAE |
| Residence visa on the new passport | GDRFA in Dubai, or ICP for files it holds |
What to have ready before you start
- Your residence visa details and Emirates ID, to identify your file when you deal with the police and GDRFA.
- The sponsor’s letter and supporting copies that match your sponsorship type (see the table above).
- Your embassy’s own checklist for a replacement passport, since documents and timing differ by nationality.
- The police report, then the Arabic lost passport certificate, kept together until the new passport is issued.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Emirates ID while the passport is being replaced?
The Emirates ID is issued by ICP and is a separate card from your passport. If the card went missing in the same incident, our guide to replacing a lost Emirates ID covers the ICP steps, and the Emirates ID renewal guide covers renewal timing.
Can an expired residence visa cause a fine while I wait for a new passport?
Overstay fines follow the residence visa and its grace period, not the passport, so read the UAE overstay fine guide if your visa is close to its end date.
Where to go next
- How to check your UAE visa status online
- UAE visa overstay fine: AED 50 a day and grace periods
- Replace a lost Emirates ID
- Golden Visa return document for a passport lost abroad
- UAE visa cancellation guide for residents
