How to check your Emirates ID status and validity in the UAE

How to check Emirates ID status online

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) issues the Emirates ID in every emirate, Dubai included. It was previously the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, known as ICA, so an "ICA" status check means ICP's services today.

• 1. Find your reference. For a new card, the application number (PRAN). ICP's FAQ says the application number used for smart services tracking starts with 010. For a renewal or replacement, your Emirates ID number. If your employer or a typing centre applied, ask them for it.
• 2. Use ICP's ID Card Status page. Enter the number in the "PRAN/IDN/Request Number" field.
• 3. Or use ICP smart services. Choose application tracking and enter the application number. If you applied from your own account, open My Applications / My Requests.
• 4. Or call ICP. 600522222 inside the UAE, +971 600522222 from abroad.

Passport number? ICP's ID Card Status page asks for your application number (PRAN) or Emirates ID number, not a passport number. GDRFA Dubai's status inquiry, which covers a Dubai residence rather than the card, has a passport search.

Emirates ID validity check: is your card still valid?

For residents, the card's validity follows the residence. The UAE government portal says the Emirates ID expires when your visa expires, and is cancelled automatically when a residence visa is cancelled. ICP charges residents AED 100 per year of residence for the card (its fee pages show "last updated 11 December 2024").

The expiry date is printed on the card, and once it's issued you can view the electronic version in the ICP UAE app. To confirm the residence itself, use the checks below, or see how to check your visa status.

Biometrics, printing, delivery and timing

Biometrics. For a new card or a replacement, applicants aged 15 and over give fingerprints and a signature at an ICP service centre; for a renewal, ICP lists this step where required. ICP's FAQ says these visits need an appointment in advance. Attend at the time you booked: ICP cancels the application if biometrics aren't completed within the set period.

Printing and delivery. ICP's service pages don't explain the status labels, so check the card's progress on its ID Card Status page. A standard card is delivered by courier. An urgent card costs AED 150 extra, is requested in person at an ICP service centre and is collected there, through what ICP calls its collection service for printed ID cards. The UAE government portal says the urgent service issues the card within 24 hours, for UAE nationals and GCC nationals living in the UAE; other residents can use it only to replace a card.

Timing. ICP lists a service completion duration of 5 days for a new card, a renewal and a replacement; those pages show "last updated 11 December 2024" (checked 13 November 2026). That's its stated duration, not a promise for every file.

If your application is stuck or returned

ICP's service pages set out the stages: submit, review, attach documents, pay, complete biometrics, receive the card. Find the stage that hasn't finished.

If ICP returns an application for amendment, make the changes quickly: ICP cancels an application if the procedures aren't completed, or if a returned application isn't amended within the specified period. If a service isn't completed, ICP's refund service returns issuance fees only, not application or smart service fees (refund page last updated 11 December 2024).

For residents, the card goes through the unified Emirates ID and residence application, which needs the necessary approvals and a passed medical fitness test. ICP issues the card after the residence, so a card that isn't moving may be waiting on the medical result or the residence.

Dubai residents: GDRFA Dubai for the residence, ICP for the card

If your residence was issued in Dubai, GDRFA Dubai handles the residence and its status inquiry, which searches by application or by file. The Emirates ID is still an ICP card, so track it on ICP's ID Card Status page. ICP runs customer happiness centres in Dubai, including Al Barsha, Al Rashidiya and Al Ghazal.

For a Dubai residence, call GDRFA Dubai on 800 5111 inside the UAE; for the card, call ICP on 600522222.

Lost Emirates ID, damaged or expired cards

Lost or damaged. The UAE government portal says to report a lost card to ICP within 7 days. Apply for a replacement through ICP's smart app or website, a typing centre or a customer happiness centre. At the time of writing, ICP lists AED 300 for the replacement card, AED 100 smart service fees and AED 150 for urgent service at its centres (page last updated 11 December 2024). The new card keeps the old card's validity. A card that stops working because of a manufacturing defect, such as a damaged chip, is replaced free after an examination at an ICP centre.

Expired. ICP says residents can renew in the last six months or after expiry, with a fine of AED 20 a day from 30 days after expiry, up to AED 1,000. See our emirates id renewal and residence visa renewal guides.

Global Sky PRO isn't a government body; ICP and GDRFA Dubai decide every application. We handle typing, applications and follow-up for individuals and employers. See our employment visa service.