Renew an Afghan passport in the UAE and Dubai

Photo: Evgenii · CC BY 2.0

Online or in person?

The consulate's own page says its online passport service is "presently available exclusively" to people living in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. The UAE is not on that list. So if you live here, plan to go in person. The online route, with its higher fees and delivery to your door, is described in our piece on renewing a passport online.

In person, anyone can apply, with or without an old passport. Fingerprints are taken only from people applying for the first time. A child under 18 must come with a parent.

Which office

• Consulate General in Dubai: Villa 23, 29B Street, Al Jafiliya, Dubai. Phone +971 4 398 8229, email dubai@afghanconsulate.ae. It says it is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00, except public holidays. Website: afghanconsulate.ae.
• Embassy in Abu Dhabi: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 26 Saif Bin Ali Al Qubaisi Street, Al Rawdah. The embassy's own site gives a second street name for the same house number, so confirm the address when you call. Phone +971 2 447 2666, email abudhabi.embassy@mfa.gov.af. Website: abudhabi.mfa.gov.af. Its page lists passport renewal and replacement, but no fees and no opening hours.

Both say most services need an appointment booked in advance. Neither site shows a booking form, so book by phone or email. The E-Afghans helpdesk, +971 4 398 8229, answers from 8:30 to 14:00 Monday to Thursday and 8:30 to 12:00 on Friday.

What it costs

The Dubai consulate publishes these fees for applying in person:

• 5-year passport: $120
• 10-year passport: $220, for adults only

The embassy in Abu Dhabi does not publish its fees. Ask before you go. For the dollar amount in dirhams or afghanis, see the rate page.

What to bring

For a renewal (an adult):

• Your most recent electronic Afghan passport, the original. An expired one is accepted.
• A police report if the passport was lost.
• A photo: 4 by 4.5 cm, white background, taken in the last six months, glued on, not stapled.

For a first passport (an adult):

• Your original, verified tazkira and an attested translation of both sides. If you have no tazkira yet, see the tazkira guide.
• A copy of your UAE Resident ID, or of your university registration.
• The photo above.

For a child or a newborn: the original birth certificate naming both parents, both parents' passports and tazkiras, and a Resident ID or school registration for an older child.

The Abu Dhabi embassy's own short list for a renewal is the old passport, the tazkira or CNIC and two photos. Bring copies of everything.

How long it takes

The sources do not agree. The consulate's passport page says 4 to 8 weeks. Its home page and the embassy's page say usually 7 to 10 working days, and the home page even says one day. Delays from missing documents or wrong details are the applicant's responsibility. If you must travel, do not book a ticket until you hold the new passport.

Never pay an agent, a "fast track" or a website that is not the mission's own. The official sites are afghanconsulate.ae, abudhabi.mfa.gov.af and eafghans.com. Check the fee by phone before you pay anything.

If you hold refugee or protection status in another country, ask a legal adviser before you apply for a passport. For passports inside Afghanistan, see the passport guide.