Newborn Paperwork in the UAE: Birth Certificate, Passport and Visa in Order

The short version: the hospital gives you a birth notification, you turn it into a birth certificate within 30 days, and you finish the baby's passport, Emirates ID and residence visa within 120 days of the birth. After day 120 the visa carries a fine of AED 100 a day, and the baby cannot leave the country. This page is written for expat residents. If you are an Emirati family, jump to the last section.

Details below were checked against the official pages on 28 October 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm the amount on the authority's page before you pay.

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Step 1: the hospital's birth notification

Before you leave the hospital, you are given a stamped and signed birth notification. Ask for the discharge summary at the same time, because the next step needs both. Put them in one folder and hand the folder to your partner: everything after this can be done by one parent while the other sleeps.

Step 2: the birth certificate (within 30 days)

Residents have a maximum of 30 days to register the birth. You apply through the hospital or the health authority of your emirate. Bring:

• your marriage certificate, attested, and translated into Arabic if it is in another language
• the originals and copies of both parents' passports
• the hospital's birth notification
• the hospital's discharge summary

In Dubai the certificate is issued in Arabic and English, and the Dubai Health Authority lists AED 70 per certificate, with an online service open 24/7. Order two or three copies now. You will use them for the visa, the embassy and probably a school application one day.

Step 3: attestation

Expats need the birth certificate attested by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). A certificate stamped by the Dubai Health Authority or by the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi counts as the health ministry's seal. MOFA handles birth certificates through its digital attestation service, which works from the reference number or QR code on the certificate.

Step 4: the baby's passport

The passport comes from your own country, not from the UAE. Your embassy or consulate in the UAE sets its own list, fees and waiting time, so check its website before you book. The UAE government page says that when parents have different nationalities, the child takes the father's. If your family is in that situation, ask the embassy of each parent what it needs before you start.

Step 5: the residence visa (the deadline that matters)

The baby needs a residence visa sponsored by a resident parent. The sponsor has to meet the salary rule: at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. The medical fitness test applies from age 18, so a newborn does not need one.

In Dubai the family residence permit is applied for through GDRFA Dubai, online with UAE Pass, at a Customer Happiness Centre or at an Amer centre. You will need:

• a recent colour photo on a white background
• a copy of the passport
• the attested birth certificate

GDRFA's family permit page lists AED 200 for the permit plus small dirham charges and an inside-country fee of AED 500. That is the general family-permit page, so confirm the newborn amount when you apply. In other emirates, ask ICP or the local immigration office.

Step 6: Emirates ID

The Emirates ID is part of the same 120 days, and ICP is the authority that issues it. Check the ICP page for the current application route and fee, and take the visa paperwork with you.

The 120-day line

Residents have 120 days from the birth to complete the certificate, passport, Emirates ID and visa. After that, the visa fine is AED 100 per day, and the baby is not allowed to exit the country. Write the birth date on the fridge and count forward from it, and start the passport early, because it depends on an embassy's own waiting time. If you are flying home for the holidays, read flying with a baby from the UAE first.

What differs for Emirati families

UAE nationals follow a shorter route: the hospital notification, then the birth certificate, then ICP adds the baby to the family data, and the passport and Emirates ID are applied for online. The Mabrouk Ma Yak bundle puts the certificate, family data, passport, Emirates ID, Thiqa insurance and an optional health card into one digital request.

Before the baby comes

Pack the folder while you are pregnant: marriage certificate, both passports, a few white-background photos. The hospital bag checklist has the other half of that bag, and the newborn essentials guide covers what to buy. This week, put the marriage certificate and both passports in one folder, so it is ready on the day.

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Sources

• UAE Government Portal, Having a baby: https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/social-affairs/Life-events/having-a-baby
• UAE Government Portal, Residence visa for families of employees: https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/Types-of-visas/Residence-visa/residence-visa-for-family-members
• Dubai Health Authority, Issue Birth Certificate: https://www.dha.gov.ae/en/services/serviceDetails/40cd0672-c7b0-11e8-0721-005056ad1b09
• GDRFA Dubai, Residence permit for foreigner family members: https://www.gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services/bf409606-56e2-11ea-0320-0050569629e8
• ICP, Issuing Residency Permit: https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e64
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Digital Attestation Service: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/digital-attestation-service