The UAE has recently launched a service that allows individuals to renew their Emirates ID card and passport from outside the country. The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security has introduced this long-awaited change.
To avail of this service, there is a crucial condition that individuals must meet. The applicant must personally apply for the transaction through the authority’s dedicated smart application, ensuring that they are the rightful owner of the documents.
According to an Arabic daily, Emarat AlYoum, the authority now exclusively offers the renewal service through its smart application. If the request is submitted through printing centres or by someone other than the transaction owner within the country, the application will be rejected if it is found out that the person is outside the UAE.
Individuals residing outside the UAE can access the authority’s smart application on their mobile phones. They can select the service for renewing ID cards from abroad, submit their application, pay the fees, and complete the transaction seamlessly.
The authority has outlined nine specific criteria that must be met to ensure the acceptance of personal photos submitted through their smart systems, irrespective of the applicant’s age. These standards include wearing the official attire of the United Arab Emirates, allowing head coverings in accordance with customs and traditions, using a white background, providing a high-quality and recent coloured photo taken within the last six months (35-40 mm), ensuring the head is positioned straight and parallel to the camera lens, maintaining a neutral facial expression, keeping both eyes open and facing the camera without coloured contact lenses, ensuring that glasses do not obstruct the eyes or cause reflections, and having an image resolution of at least 600 dots per inch, free from ink marks or wrinkles.
The authority urges all customers to double-check the accuracy and validity of their ID numbers and expiration dates when applying for renewal or replacement. They should also verify the correctness of the data entered in the electronic form before making the payment to avoid any delays in processing their transactions. Additionally, individuals are advised to verify the accuracy of their phone numbers, email addresses, and preferred delivery methods indicated in the electronic form.
