If you lose your passport in the UAE, you have to apply for a new passport (to your embassy in the UAE) and have your residence visa re-stamped on your new passport.
However, first report the loss or theft of the passport to the police station nearest to where the incident took place.
Note:
- If the lost passport belongs to a minor, the sponsoring parent should be present to endorse the report.
- If the person who lost the passport is on his employer's sponsorship, he should submit a letter in Arabic about the loss of the passport. The letter should be on the sponsoring employer's letterhead and should be submitted to the police department of the emirate where the residence visa was issued. The sponsor should also provide a photocopy of its licence and establishment card.
- If the person who lost the passport is on family sponsorship, he needs to submit a letter signed by the sponsor and a photocopy of the sponsor’s passport.
Procedure in case a passport is lost in Dubai
In Dubai, the procedure for lost passports is linked with General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs and Dubai Courts.
- Upon receiving the police report, get it stamped by the relevant UAE court, Public Prosecution and General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in the emirate where the visa was issued.
- After these endorsements, you can return the police report to the station from where you received it and they will issue you a formal ‘lost passport certificate’ in Arabic.
- Based on the formal ‘lost passport certificate’, a person can apply for a new passport at his embassy/consulate in the UAE. Check with your embassy for the requirements.
- When your passport is issued, you have to go back to the GDRFA to stamp your residence visa. Check with the relevant GDRFA about application and fees.
- GDRFA will issue a residence visa with the same validity period as of the old visa if still valid, or it will issue a new one if the visa expired while you were inside the UAE.
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