Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – The Federal Authority for Identity, Nationality, Customs and Port Security has decided to allow citizens to renew their passports within a period of up to one full year before their expiration date, instead of the previously applicable six-month period.
His Excellency Ali Mohammed Al Shamsi, Chairman of the Authority, issued a decision stipulating that a citizen may renew his passport if the passport’s validity period is one year or less. The Authority will make the service available to citizens starting Monday, August 18, 2025, through the smart services system.
He stressed that the decision contributes to improving the quality of life of citizens and enabling them to plan their trips outside the country in advance, complete their transactions, and expand the scope of use of official digital documents, in addition to providing proactive and pioneering institutional services.
Al Shamsi pointed out that the UAE passport ranks first in the global ranking of passports in terms of strength, reliability and dependability among countries around the world, noting that the decision is a strong push to enhance the status of the UAE passport, and contributes to making the passport issuance and renewal system and services a pioneering and inspiring model for the rest of the countries of the region and the world.
