Finding Your Lost Passport in the UAE Isn't As Hard As You Think

Dubai Police started to search a limousine car she had been using when touring around the city, then continued to retrace her movements to a restaurant in Burj Khalifa and a beach in Umm Suqeim and the lost and found department in Bur Dubai, but the search came to no avail.

SEE MORE: Enjoy an authentic Abra Ride from these 5 places in Dubai

However, standard police protocol led Police to search nearby areas as well. And while the woman had only dined at the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Police also had suspicion to check the Armani Hotel nearby. They eventually found the woman’s purse untouched in a corner of the hotel.

Losing your passport is no fun for any expat or tourist, especially if your story doesn’t have such a happy and easy ending – at times purses may be stolen, lost passports may never be brought to the police or it can simply be badly misplaced.

While you should always be extremely cautious when carrying valuable documents, here are the different steps to take if you’ve misplaced your passport in Abu Dhabi.

The first thing you must do is report your lost passport or valuable document to the nearest Abu Dhabi Police station and fill out a form. This ensures that if any person has found your passport and misused it in the country, the Police are able to clear your name and possible apprehend whoever has the passport.

Within a day, the police will immediately issues a lost-passport report and attempt to retrieve it.

Important things to consider if you’re living in the UAE:

If you are on a company sponsorship, you will need to submit a letter written in Arabic with the company’s letterhead to the police and certain government offices – from where the residence visa was issued.

The sponsor will need to provide a photocopy of the company’s trade license.

Once you’ve received the police report, you will need get it stamped by the Dubai Courts, the Public Prosecution Department and the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs.

After which you can re-submit the form to the Abu Dhabi Police.

Applying for a new passport might take some time, so it is best advised to start as soon as you’ve received the three stamps from the government offices.

You can contact your specific embassy on how to apply for a new passport – as the rules and procedures differ from one nationality to the other.

After you’ve received your new passport, you’ll need to restamp your residency visa – just fill up a lost items application at any visa centers before.

The UAE residency department will then stamp the same validity period as the one issued in the original passport or issue a new one depending on the expiration date.

Whether you lose your passport in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or another emirate, there’s always a way to move forward without losing your mind too.