Emirates ID renewal: grace period, fines and steps

CHECKED 28 SEP 2026

For a resident, the Emirates ID is renewed alongside the residence visa and its validity follows the visa. The fine for being late is small per day and capped — but the card is a legal requirement to carry, and the renewal has conditions of its own that catch people out.

The grace period and the fine

ICP grants 30 days from the expiry date to complete the renewal. After that a fine of AED 20 is charged for each day of delay, up to a maximum of AED 1,000 — which is reached at 50 days past the grace period.

These are among the few figures in UAE renewals where the official sources agree exactly: the same numbers appear on the ICP service card, in ICP's own FAQ, and on the UAE Government portal.

ICP also runs a request for exemption from delay fees, decided against approved exemption criteria. It is worth knowing about after the fact; it is not something to rely on.

When you can renew

ICP allows a renewal once the card has expired, or before expiry: for non-nationals when less than six months remain, and for UAE nationals when less than a year remains.

For residents this usually settles itself, because the card is renewed with the visa. The card fee is charged per year of residence, so its validity tracks the residence permit rather than running on its own cycle.

What it costs

Residents: AED 100 for each year of residence, plus an AED 100 smart application fee.
UAE nationals: AED 100 for a five-year card under 21, AED 200 for a ten-year card at 21 and above. GCC citizens: AED 100 for a five-year card plus the AED 100 smart application fee.
Urgent service: AED 150, available only at ICP service centres, with the card collected in person rather than couriered.
Lost or damaged replacement: AED 300, the same for every nationality and age.

How long it takes, and the conditions

ICP states a completion time of five days for both renewal and new issuance. There is no published turnaround for the urgent service beyond it being collected at a centre.

The passport must have at least three months of validity. Note that this is not the same threshold as the residence visa, which needs six months — a passport can be good enough for the ID and not for the visa it depends on.

A fresh photograph is required, meeting ICAO standards, and it must not be identical to the one printed on the current card. Anyone aged 15 or over completes fingerprints and signature at an ICP service centre.

Where to apply

ICP Smart Services on the web and the UAEICP app, both 24 hours a day; ICP Customer Happiness Centres; Residency and Foreigners Affairs offices; and accredited typing offices.

Standard cards are delivered by authorised courier. Urgent ones are collected from an ICP centre.

What an expired card actually stops

It is worth being precise here, because a great deal of confident writing on this subject is not. Carrying the card is a legal requirement for citizens and residents. The uses the Government portal actually lists are: obtaining government services, voting in Federal National Council elections, travelling within the GCC as a UAE citizen, and passing through the smart gates at UAE airports.

Beyond that, an expired card fails wherever identity has to be verified — which in practice is a great many counters, including banks and telecom providers. That is a consequence of how identity checks work rather than a published rule, and you will find sites that state it as one.

Where companies get caught out

Because the card is finished after the visa, it is easy to close out the visa renewal and let the card drift. Tracking the Emirates ID as a date in its own right — not as a footnote to the visa — is what stops that.

SOURCES

UAE fees and fines change. This guide is general information checked on the date above, not legal advice — confirm current figures with the authority before acting on them.