Airline and immigration officials at several foreign airports—including major Indian hubs such as Mumbai, Delhi and Kochi—have begun insisting that passengers returning to the United Arab Emirates present their original Emirates ID card at check-in and immigration counters. The reminder follows multiple incidents in which UAE residents were denied boarding because they had only a digital copy or photo of the card. Since April 2022 the Emirates ID has officially replaced the visa sticker in passports; it is now the single document used by UAE immigration systems to verify residency. Travel-management executives say the requirement is not limited to India. Carriers in Canada, the United Kingdom and several Gulf states have also introduced physical-ID checks because their staff can no longer rely on a passport stamp to confirm residency. Industry sources told Gulf News that the policy was triggered by a sharp rise in fraudulent residency documents detected during the 2024–25 travel rebound: airline staff need a tamper-proof way to verify that a traveller is entitled to enter the UAE without a visit visa. For business-travel managers the message is clear: employees on home-leave or short-term assignments must pack their Emirates ID alongside their passport. Corporates are updating travel checklists and mobile apps to include an ID reminder—even for travellers transiting the Gulf en route to Africa or Europe. Travel-risk firms also recommend that staff photograph both sides of the card and store the image in an encrypted phone wallet in case the original is misplaced abroad. Failure to present the card can be costly. One Sharjah-based executive missed a week of work and incurred re-booking fees while waiting for his ID to be couriered from the UAE. Employers may also face disruption if key staff are stranded overseas. Human-resources teams are therefore sending company-wide advisories and asking employees to sign acknowledgements that they understand the policy. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has reiterated that digital IDs shown in the UAE Pass app are acceptable **inside** the country, but overseas airline and immigration procedures vary and may demand the original plastic card. Practical tip: if an employee loses an Emirates ID abroad, the local UAE mission can issue a return permit, but the traveller will need a police report plus a replacement-ID application; the process can take several days. Carrying the physical card remains the simplest way to avoid disruption.
Source: Gulf News
