Damaged, Expired & Name-Change Passport Guide
Understand the correct 2026 process for damaged or expired passports, legal name changes, and updating UAE residence records.
Critical distinction: ICP issues and replaces UAE passports for UAE citizens. Expatriate residents generally obtain their foreign passport from their own embassy or consulate, then update the relevant UAE immigration record where necessary.
First identify whose passport you are dealing with
UAE passport services and UAE residence-record services are not the same thing. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) provides passport issuance, renewal and replacement services for UAE citizens. A foreign national living in the UAE does not receive a new passport for their nationality from ICP; that passport is issued or replaced by the person’s own national authority.
Once a foreign resident receives a new passport, the passport details associated with the UAE residence permit may need to be amended. Dubai has a dedicated GDRFA Dubai residence-data amendment service, while other emirates use the applicable federal or local immigration channel.
Passport situation selector
Damaged or mutilated passport
An expatriate resident must normally obtain a replacement foreign passport or emergency travel document from their own country’s embassy or consulate. The UAE immigration record may then need to be updated with the new passport.
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Current official-service snapshot
| Passport issuer | Home-country authority |
| UAE immigration update | ICP / relevant emirate |
| Dubai residence data | GDRFA Dubai |
| Dubai amendment condition | Passport > 6 months |
What the current official services actually say
| Situation | UAE citizen | Expatriate resident |
|---|---|---|
| Damaged passport | ICP has a dedicated lost/damaged passport replacement service. For “Damaged”, a clear image showing the damaged area is required. | Contact the home-country embassy or consulate for replacement of the foreign passport. Then update UAE residence records if required. |
| Expired passport | ICP provides passport renewal where the passport has expired or has less than one year remaining. | Renew through the home-country authority and then update the UAE immigration record where necessary. |
| Legal name change | ICP provides a passport-replacement service for changes to some personal details. | First obtain the updated foreign passport, then amend the relevant UAE residence data. |
| Lost passport | ICP provides a lost/damaged passport replacement service. | Follow the home-country authority's lost-passport procedure; a police certificate may also be required by the relevant UAE/local service. |
UAE citizen: damaged passport
- Use the ICP lost/damaged passport replacement service.
- Select the reason “Damaged” where applicable.
- Provide the clear image of the damaged passport showing the area of damage, as required by ICP.
- Submit the application through the approved ICP channel.
- Pay the prescribed service fees.
- Receive the replacement passport through the authorised delivery service.
Expatriate resident: damaged passport
- Contact your own embassy or consulate in the UAE.
- Follow its damaged-passport replacement or emergency-document procedure.
- Obtain the new passport or emergency travel document required for your circumstances.
- Check whether your UAE visa/residence record needs the new passport details.
- For Dubai residence records, use the applicable GDRFA Dubai data-amendment service.
Name or surname changes: correct order of steps
Expatriate resident workflow
- Establish the legal name change under the law applicable to your nationality and the reason for the change.
- Obtain the updated passport or other official nationality document from your competent authority.
- Check the relevant UAE immigration record and identify whether ICP or the emirate-specific immigration authority handles the update.
- For a Dubai residence permit, use the current GDRFA Dubai residence-data amendment service where applicable.
- Submit the documents requested by the authority and pay the applicable service charges shown by the live government portal.
Why a single “marriage certificate” rule is unsafe
The legal document needed to substantiate a name change can depend on nationality, the reason for the change and the authority that issued the underlying document.
Do not automatically describe every marriage certificate, court order or deed poll as requiring the same UAE attestation route. Confirm the document requirements of the passport authority and the relevant UAE immigration authority.
Dubai residence-record amendment after a passport change
GDRFA Dubai currently provides an “Amendment of all types of residence permit data” service. The current service lists a recent personal photograph and the sponsored person's passport as core requirements. It also states that the passport must be valid for more than six months.
| Current GDRFA Dubai requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Recent personal photograph | White-background photo for the sponsored person. |
| Sponsored person's passport | Passport must satisfy the service requirements and be valid for more than six months. |
| Application channel | GDRFA website or an AMER service centre. |
| Approval workflow | Submit, pay applicable charges, and follow the notification and stamping instructions where required. |
Passport validity: what “six months” really means
Six months is an important benchmark, but it should not be presented as a single universal rule for every traveller and every destination.
UAE work/residence entry
The UAE Government states that foreigners coming to the UAE for work and residence should have passports valid for at least six months.
UAE immigration services
ICP and GDRFA services commonly specify passports valid for more than six months for relevant visa or residence transactions.
International travel
The destination, transit points, visa conditions and airline rules can impose their own validity requirements.
What counts as passport damage?
Passport damage should be assessed by document integrity, not just by whether the booklet looks old. Damage to the identity page, missing or torn pages, serious water damage, detached pages or compromised security features can create problems with automated readers, airlines or border authorities.
Identity page
Smudging, tearing or damage affecting personal details or the machine-readable area can be significant.
Pages
Missing or detached pages may interfere with visa and border records.
Security features
Damage to embedded security features can make verification difficult.
Electronic reading
A damaged e-passport may fail automated reading even when some printed information remains visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official passport and ICP resources
Official Dubai immigration resources
Important 2026 accuracy notes
- ICP's passport services discussed here are UAE-citizen passport services; they do not replace a foreign national's passport.
- Current ICP damaged/lost passport replacement is AED 300 plus AED 15 delivery, not a universal AED 300–500 fee.
- A police report is not a universal prerequisite for every damaged passport case. The exact requirement depends on the authority and reason for replacement.
- Six months is an important passport-validity benchmark, but destination, visa and airline requirements can differ.
- UAE residence-data amendment is separate from issuing the foreign passport itself.
- Government service requirements and fees can change; the live ICP/GDRFA service card should be checked before submission.
This page is general information based on current official service information. Passport acceptance, visa validity and entry decisions can also depend on the destination country, airline, transit state, passport nationality and the specific immigration case.