If you lose your passport in Dubai

Losing your passport, whether you are a visitor or a resident in any country, can be a hassle – but not necessarily a nightmare.

There are procedures to follow to help you obtain a new travel document if you lose this all-important proof of identity binding for cross-border journeys.

While in Dubai, if you happen to lose your passport, the first thing that you should do is report the loss/theft to a police station closest to where you lost your passport so that is cannot be misused.

In case of lost passports, the service provided by Dubai Police is linked to General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs and Dubai Courts.

While at the police station, you will be required to fill a form. The steps to follow here vary slightly depending on whether the person who lost their passport is sponsored by a company, an individual, or is a minor.

Steps for those sponsored by a company

The required documents for registration of report of passport loss for those sponsored by their employers includes a copy of the lost passport, and a copy of the loss certificate issued by the police station, stating the passport number of the missing passport document and names of the dependents (if any).

Steps for those sponsored by an individual/spouse

The required documents for registration of report of passport loss for people sponsored by individuals include a copy of the sponsor’s passport, a copy of the passport of the sponsored and a copy of the loss certificate issued by the police station, stating the passport number of the missing passport document and names of the dependents (if any).

Steps for minors

In case the lost passport belongs to a minor, the sponsor (father or mother) should be present to report the loss at a police station. Once you report at the police station, they will issue a police report to you.

After this, you need to take the police report and go to Dubai Courts, where they will stamp the police report. Next, you need to go to the Public Prosecution Department (next to Dubai Courts) for the same procedure.

Once the police report has been stamped by the abovementioned two entities, take the report to the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and it will be stamped here too.

After the GDRFA stamp, go back to the same police station that gave you the lost report and they will issue you a lost passport certificate in Arabic.

A final police report in Dubai is only given after obtaining stamps from the Dubai Courts, Dubai Prosecution, and GDRFA, so it’s important that you follow the procedure.

Take this certificate to your embassy and follow your embassy’s rules to get a new passport. Each embassy rules can vary so check the requirements of your respective embassy.

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