UAE citizens can renew Emirates ID cards up to one year before expiry, extending the previous six-month window. Citizens can also renew a passport and Emirates ID together when both expire at the same time.

The details

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security expanded the early-renewal window for UAE citizens’ Emirates ID cards in July.

Citizens can now renew an Emirates ID up to one year before its expiry date, compared with the previous six-month window. Where a passport and Emirates ID expire at the same time, both documents can be renewed in a single transaction.

The change is intended to give citizens more flexibility when planning identity-document renewals and may help reduce last-minute administrative pressure. Emirates ID cards are used for banking, driving-licence and government-service transactions.

The reported change applies to UAE citizens. Residents continue to renew their Emirates ID in line with their residency-document requirements and applicable renewal procedures.