Lost or Stolen Passport & Emergency Guide
Step-by-step procedures for foreign residents, UAE citizens and travellers who lose a passport inside the UAE or abroad.
The correct process depends on who lost the passport, where it was lost, whether the person is a UAE resident or citizen, and whether the person needs to leave the UAE.
Do not use one universal lost-passport workflow
A UAE resident who loses a foreign passport inside the UAE has a different process from a UAE resident who loses it abroad, and both differ from a UAE citizen who loses an ordinary passport while travelling.
In particular, the UAE MoFA Return Document is a service for UAE nationals abroad. It is not a document that foreign expatriates can request from MoFA in place of their own embassy-issued travel document.
Immediate response
Report a lost or stolen passport promptly to the police or other competent authority required in the place where the passport was lost. Then contact the passport-issuing country’s embassy or consulate for a replacement passport or emergency travel document, unless you are a UAE national using the dedicated MoFA Return Document route.
Keep copies of the old passport, residence visa, Emirates ID, police report, passport photographs and any consular document. The precise documents and sequence vary by nationality and authority.
Select your situation
UAE Resident — Foreign Passport Lost Inside the UAE
Foreign resident inside the UAE
The official UAE Government guidance says a resident who loses a passport inside the UAE should report it to the police, obtain a new passport from the home-country mission and then have the residence visa recorded on the new passport. Dubai cases have additional links between police, courts/public prosecution and GDRFA in the formal lost-passport certificate process.
Leaving the UAE after passport loss
A departure permit is not a universal automatic requirement for every lost-passport case. It becomes relevant in specific immigration circumstances.
In Dubai, GDRFA specifically lists a departure-permit route for a foreigner with a lost passport and requires a lost-passport certificate plus an official travel document from the consulate. ICP similarly identifies an Issue Departure Permit dependency for its resident lost-passport-outside-the-country service.
Current official service distinctions
| Situation | Primary authority | Key service | Current published point |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE resident — passport lost abroad | ICP | Loss of Resident’s Passport (Outside the Country) | ICP publishes AED 100 smart-service fees and lists an “Issue Departure Permit” dependency. |
| Dubai foreigner — lost passport and needs departure | GDRFA Dubai | Issuance of a Departure Permit | Current page requires personal attendance, lost-passport certificate and consular travel document; published fee is AED 241. |
| UAE citizen — ordinary passport lost abroad | MoFA / UAE mission | Electronic Return Document | 30-minute service time; document valid for 7 days from issue. |
| UAE citizen — replacement passport | ICP | Passport replacement for lost/damaged passport | Separate permanent passport service; do not treat the Return Document as the replacement passport. |
UAE citizen Return Document
An electronic emergency document for UAE nationals abroad whose ordinary passport is lost, damaged or expired, issued through UAE diplomatic missions to facilitate return to the UAE.
MoFA currently publishes a 30-minute service time and states that the electronic Return Document is valid for 7 days from issuance.
Employer passport-holding issue
MoHRE’s published labour-law material states that if an employer seizes an employee’s passport or official documents, the employee may file a labour complaint and may also petition the competent judicial department.
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These are primary UAE government and authority sources. This page is not certified, verified or endorsed by ICP, GDRFA, MoFA, Dubai Police or any foreign embassy.