A UAE passport was initially very hard and challenging to get. The navy blue passport could only be obtained by foreigners by marriage, citizenship, or for exceptional merits. However, the year 2021 brought about a change. The UAE government recently amended the Country’s legislation.
This promoted diversity in the Country by simplifying the procedures for foreigners to become United Arab Emirates citizens.
How to Obtain the UAE passport
- The first step is to check with the requirements if you are eligible to apply for citizenship.
- The second step is to check if your Country is among the 170 countries with valid UAE passports.
- The third step is contacting the necessary authorities.
- The last step is the application for the IAE proper and waiting for it to be approved by the ruler of the Emirate, you wish to become a citizen.
Different Types of UAE Passports
The following are the types of passports issued by the UAE government to its citizens. And just like different passports stand for other things and perform various functions, they also have different colors.
Regular Passports
These are regular passports issued to UAE citizens.
Special Passport
This passport has a green cover. It is a passport issued to members of the National Federal Council, high-ranking retired government officials, and their relatives.
A federal arrangement from the Supreme Federal Council to Emirati state representatives can also issue the passport. This passport has the same visa validity span as the diplomatic passport.
Diplomatic Passport
This is usually issued to members of the royal family and diplomats serving abroad in Emirati embassies and to high-ranking officials from branches of the executive and their family members during their service period. It could be recognized by its red cover back.
Service or Temporary Passport
The back cover is Cyan and is usually issued for a set period to citizens and non-citizens to perform a given task or an assignment of interest to the state. If given to a non-citizen, this passport does not provide the non-citizen any right to live in the UAE.
Emergency Passport
This is usually issued to UAE citizens staying outside the UAE’s borders who have lost their passports abroad, misplaced their identity cards in the GCC, whose passports were no longer valid while still abroad, or issued in cases of natural disasters or evacuations. It is usually green in color.
How to Obtain the UAE passports
What other way to get the passport than to become a citizen? Only citizens of the UAE can obtain passports, as passports can only be given to citizens.
Below are some ways of becoming citizens before one can obtain passports.
Through Marriage
A person can become a citizen by marrying a citizen of the UAE. Firstly, the citizen must get permission from the court to marry a foreigner (non-citizen).
The foreigner must already have a UAE residence visa and a clean medical and criminal report.
Also, whoever the citizen is marrying must not be two times older than the citizen. A non-citizen woman getting married to a citizen can get the passport in seven years if they procreate together, but if they don’t, she will be given the passport in 10 years.
Being a Descendant
Being born in the UAE (Dubai) does not guarantee citizenship. One has to fall into any of the following categories to be a citizen of Dubai.
- From a long line of Arab settlers, the predecessors must have come to UAE and settled there over the years.
- Your mother must be a citizen of the UAE.
- Your father must be a citizen of the UAE.
- The child was found to be born to unknown parents in the Country.
Through Naturalization
Citizenship by naturalization was formerly only granted to ethnic arab settlers who were of good character, had no criminal records, were fluent in the Arabic language, had good academic qualifications, and had a good source of money.
However, after the naturalization laws were changed, residence visa holders who were non-citizens could also become citizens even without having any of the above qualifications.
However, the applicant must have lived in the Emirates for about thirty years before obtaining citizenship by naturalization.
Through Exceptional Merit
This was recently added to the Executive regulations of the federal law on matters of nationality and passports.
Before it was introduced in 2021, one could only obtain citizenship through the above-listed means, but here are some exceptions that can grant a person citizenship.
- Doctors with at least 10 to 15 years of experience who have contributed significantly to their field and belong to a recognized organization.
- Scientists with at least 10 to 15 years of experience have won at least one international award in their field and have a research grant.
- Investors with patents approved by a reputable international organization or the UAE Ministry of Economy.
- Innovators who are very creative in their field and have approved inventions and international awards and recommendations from government agencies in their Country.
These people will be nominated for citizenship by the officials and royals, and the nominations must be consented to by all the cabinet members before they can become citizens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What authorities can I apply to for my passport?
You can apply to any of these two authorities.
- Website of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs / Citizenship Departments (GDRFA). In the services area, click on the “Citizens” tab and scan through the citizens-related services to find your desired process.
- Website of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship. In the services area, press the “Issue Passport” tab and start your application.
Who is eligible to apply for this passport?
The following groups of people apply for the passport:
- Those who have lived in the UAE for about 30 years
- Those married to UAE citizens.
- Investors in the UAE.
- Children born to citizen parents.
Conclusion
UAE passports are one of the best in the world, just like the place UAE is one of the best to be established in. You can get a passport quickly by following the guide in this article.
