Lost Your Emirates ID? Here’s How to Get a Replacement Without Losing Your Nerves

Misplacing your Emirates ID always seems to happen at the worst possible moment. You’re at the airport check-in desk, or you’re about to open a bank account, or maybe you just need it for a routine health insurance check. Suddenly, the card that holds your entire legal existence in the UAE is nowhere to be found.

Anyone who has lived in the Emirates for even a short while knows that the Emirates ID isn’t just another piece of plastic in your wallet. It’s the golden key that unlocks practically every service in the country. Want to rent an apartment? You’ll be asked for it. Need to renew your car registration? Same thing. Visiting a clinic, dealing with your bank, or even setting up utilities? That little card is your identity in the eyes of the system.

So when it goes missing — or gets damaged, bent, or stolen — it’s natural to feel a wave of panic. But here’s the truth: the system to replace it is designed to be smooth, digital-first, and surprisingly fast. What used to mean endless paperwork and long queues can now be handled from your phone, often in less time than it takes to order a coffee.

Along the way, we’ll also share some practical tips from real-life cases — like what to do if your child loses theirs, how to avoid common mistakes, and why some residents prefer to work with a professional service to handle it all.

Step 1: Report It Immediately

The first hours after losing your Emirates ID are the most important. Think of it like losing a set of house keys: until you change the locks, anyone who finds them could walk right in. With your Emirates ID, the stakes are even higher because that card is tied to your legal identity.

The UAE requires you to report the loss or damage right away at an ICP Customer Happiness Centre. These centers are spread across the Emirates, and they are the official gatekeepers for all things related to ID cards.

ICP Customer Happiness Centre

• If your card is damaged: bring the physical card with you, even if it’s cracked, bent, or half-destroyed. They need it to cancel the old one.
• If it’s lost or stolen: provide your details, and if you happen to have a photocopy or scanned version of the card, take it along. That speeds up the process.

Once the report is made, the old card is immediately flagged in the system. That means no one else can use it to open accounts, sign contracts, or cause you any trouble. It’s your safety net, and it clears the path for the replacement process.

Some residents delay reporting because they hope the card will “turn up” under the sofa or at the bottom of a handbag. That hesitation can backfire. The moment you realize the card is truly missing, act fast. The sooner it’s reported, the sooner the system can protect you.

Step 2: Gather the Required Documents

Once the loss has been reported, the next step is to get your paperwork in order. Think of this stage as packing your backpack before a trip: the smoother and smarter you prepare, the easier the journey will be.

The essentials are straightforward:

• Passport (original and copy). This is the foundation of your identity in the UAE, so it must be valid and show your residency visa clearly.
• Residency visa. Usually stamped in your passport, it proves your legal status.
• Passport-style photo. Fresh, color, against a plain background, and following the usual guidelines (no filters, no selfies, no tilted heads).
• Copy of your old Emirates ID, if you still have one saved somewhere. Not mandatory, but it makes life easier.

Then there are the “case-by-case” extras:

• For children: you’ll need the child’s birth certificate and the sponsor’s passport/Emirates ID.
• For people with special conditions: a medical certificate or other supporting document may be required.
• For sponsored residents: sometimes, authorities may ask for a copy of your sponsor’s passport or visa.

A useful tip many residents swear by: keep digital scans of all these documents in a secure cloud folder. That way, even if you lose your wallet, you still have everything ready on your phone or laptop. It’s like carrying an invisible backup office wherever you go.

This stage may feel like simple paperwork, but it’s the key to ensuring your replacement application doesn’t get stuck. One missing document can mean delays, so double-check before moving on.

Step 3: Apply Through the UAEICP App

Here’s where the process finally starts to feel like 2025 and not 1995. You don’t need to drag yourself from counter to counter anymore; the replacement request lives inside your phone.

The app you need is called UAEICP. It’s available in both app stores, and downloading it takes less time than boiling water for tea. Once installed, you log in. If you already use UAE Pass, the app will practically roll out the red carpet for you — most of your details are pulled in automatically. If you don’t, no crisis. You can still register with your email and fill things out manually.

UAEICP

The key option you’re looking for is “Replace Emirates ID.” Tap that, and you’re taken through a form that looks straightforward at first glance. It asks the basics: your name, nationality, job, marital status, all the standard identity pieces. Then it digs a little deeper:

• Why are you replacing the card? Lost? Stolen? Cracked in half in your wallet?
• What’s your passport number, when was it issued, and when does it expire?
• Where should the new card land — home, office, or courier pickup?

If you’ve been meaning to update your signature, you’ll see an option for that too, but don’t get excited: that part still requires an in-person visit later.

The most critical part here is the upload section. You’ll need to attach those documents you prepared earlier: the passport, visa, and your photo. The system can be a bit unforgiving with blurry scans or casual selfies, so take your time. A clean submission here can save you days of delay later.

Once the uploads are done, the app gives you a full summary to review. This is the moment to double-check spellings, numbers, and addresses. A typo in your delivery location means your shiny new card could end up in the wrong hands, and nobody wants that.

Hit submit, and you’ll be nudged toward payment — but let’s pause on that for the next step.

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Step 4: Payment and Application Submission

Once the form is done and the documents are uploaded, the system takes you straight to the money part. Nobody loves paying fees, but here it feels less like a fine and more like buying back your peace of mind.

The replacement fee is fixed — a few hundred dirhams that cover the reissuance, admin charges, and the electronic transaction. When you add it up, it’s usually a little over four hundred dirhams in total. Not pocket change, but when you consider how central this card is to your life in the UAE, most people see it as worth every dirham.

Payment is straightforward. You can use a credit or debit card directly inside the app. The system confirms it instantly, and within seconds, you’ll get a reference number by SMS and email. That number is your lifeline. It’s how you track your application and check every step of progress until the new card arrives.

For anyone who’s nervous about paying right away, the app does allow a “pay later” option. But in reality, most people just settle it immediately. Why wait? The clock on your replacement only starts once the payment is confirmed, so delaying it just drags things out.

Submitting the payment officially locks your application into the ICP system. From here, the process moves out of your hands and into theirs. But the beauty is, you’re not left guessing. Tracking is transparent, which brings us to the next step.

Step 5: Track the Status

One of the worst feelings when dealing with official documents is the black hole effect — you submit papers, pay the fee, and then… nothing. Days pass, you have no updates, and you’re left wondering if anyone even touched your file.

The Emirates ID replacement process avoids that headache. The system gives you a clear tracking option so you can see exactly where your application stands. Using either the UAEICP app or the ICP website, you plug in your reference number (the one you received after payment), and the status appears instantly.

At first, you’ll see something like “Application Received” or “Under Review.” A little later, it moves to “Printing.” Eventually, you’ll get the golden message: “Card Ready for Delivery.” Each step feels like crossing a checkpoint in a race — you always know how far you’ve come and how much is left.

This isn’t just about reducing anxiety. It also gives you the chance to act fast if something goes wrong. For example, if the system flags an issue with your photo or a missing document, you’ll see it right there in the status update rather than finding out weeks later. That transparency means fewer nasty surprises.

And when the card is finally printed and handed to the courier service, the status page updates again, usually with a delivery estimate. Which brings us neatly to the last step: actually getting the card in your hands.

Step 6: Collect or Receive the New Card

This is the stage everyone waits for: the moment your replacement card leaves the system and makes its way to you. Once the application has been processed and the card printed, you’ll receive an SMS telling you it’s on the move.

Delivery works in two ways. If you choose a courier service, the message will come from the courier company with a delivery window. They’ll usually ask you to confirm the address or reschedule if the timing doesn’t work. If you picked collection instead, the SMS tells you exactly where and when you can pick it up — typically at an Emirates Post office or the ICP service center you selected during the application.

The important detail to remember is this: the replacement card doesn’t reset your residency timeline. It carries the same expiry date as the one you lost or damaged. Some people mistakenly think they get a fresh term with a new card, but that’s not how it works. This is a reissue, not an extension.

At this point, most people tuck the new card into their wallet and carry on with life. But here’s a tip: once it arrives, scan it or take a high-quality photo and store it safely online. That way, if fate plays another trick and the card goes missing again, you’ll have a copy ready to speed things up next time.

Costs and Fees: What You Actually Pay

No one likes to lose a card and then have to pay for the privilege of getting it back. But the replacement fee for an Emirates ID is less about punishment and more about covering the machinery behind the system — the reprinting, the admin work, the digital processing, and the delivery.

When you go through the official app, the total usually lands a little over four hundred dirhams. That number isn’t pulled from the air. It’s made up of a few different slices:

• The main reissuance fee is the bulk of the cost.
• Service charges for handling the application.
• Small electronic transaction fees from processing it all online.

If you break it down, you’re paying for speed, security, and peace of mind. The system cancels your old card immediately so no one else can misuse it, your documents are checked against the national database, and your new card is printed with the same level of security features as the original. That infrastructure doesn’t run for free.

Some people grumble at the cost until they picture the alternatives. Imagine trying to live in the UAE for even a week without a valid Emirates ID. You’d struggle with banks, health insurance, and even routine government interactions. In that light, four hundred dirhams feels less like a fee and more like insurance.

There are add-ons if you want extras. Express services that push your application to the front of the line can add to the bill, as can certain courier options. But for most residents, the standard replacement process is quick enough.

A little perspective helps, too: you pay this once in a blue moon, not every year. And once you’ve been through the process, you learn how to safeguard your new card better — maybe by keeping a digital copy in your cloud storage or a spare photocopy at home. That way, if it ever happens again, you’re better prepared.

Conclusion

Losing an Emirates ID always feels bigger than it is. For a few hours, maybe a few days, you’re stuck — no bank, no clinic, no paperwork moves. But the truth is, the system here is built to catch you when you fall. You report it, you prep your papers, you file through the app, and before long, the courier is at your door with a new card.

The money? Around four hundred dirhams. Annoying, yes, but think of what you’d pay in stress if the process didn’t exist. One missed hospital visit or a blocked bank transfer would cost more.

At the end of the day, it’s just a card. But in the UAE, that little piece of plastic is also your lifeline. Lose it once, and you learn how much of your life it quietly unlocks.