Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes
Emirati citizens will soon be allowed to renew their passports up to 12 months before expiry, according to an announcement on Thursday by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP).
Previously, the window for passport renewal opened just six months before the passport’s expiration.
The new policy will take effect on Monday, August 18, and will be accessible through ICP’s smart services platform.
The UAE passport is rated among the most ‘strongest’ in the world
ICP chairman Ali Mohammed Al Shamsi said the change will improve citizens’ quality of life by enabling better planning for international travel, smoother completion of official transactions, and wider use of secure digital documents.
He also noted that the UAE passport — already among of the world’s strongest and most trusted — will further enhance its global standing under the updated system.
The reform aligns with the UAE’s broader “Zero Government Bureaucracy” initiative, aimed at reducing red tape and serving as a model for digital public services in the region and beyond.
