How much does national id card cost in the GCC? 2026 fees
From Emirates ID to PACI Civil ID: the national identity card every GCC resident must hold, renew, and carry.
Indicative fees, renewal cycles and the issuing authority for all six Gulf states, plus an honest view of whether this is worth filing yourself.
National ID Card fees across the six GCC states
| Country | Known locally as | Issuing authority | Indicative fee | Renewal cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Arab Emirates | Emirates ID | ICP (Federal Authority for Identity) | AED 100 per year of validity + AED 70 typing or AED 40 online service fee | Matches residence (2 or 3 years private; 5 or 10 Golden Visa); 30-day grace then AED 20/day capped at AED 1,000 |
 Saudi Arabia | Iqama (Muqeem card) | Jawazat via Absher / Muqeem | SAR 650 per year + SAR 9,600 work-permit levy on employer | Annual (or 2 years if paid upfront); SAR 500 first late offence, SAR 1,000 second |
 Qatar | Qatar ID (QID) | Ministry of Interior via Metrash | QAR 500 for 1 year or QAR 900 for 3 years (20% discount on triennial) | Annual or 3-year, 14-day grace since June 2026 (previously 30) then QAR 10/day capped at QAR 6,000 |
 Bahrain | CPR (Central Population Registry card) | Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) | BHD 1 to BHD 2 online renewal; BHD 10 replacement | Up to 10 years, capped at LMRA permit; delivered by Bahrain Post in 2 working days |
 Oman | Resident Card | Royal Oman Police (ROP) | OMR 5 for 1 year, OMR 10 for 2 years, OMR 15 for 3 years (ROP Decision 78/2025) | 1, 2 or 3 years from 7 August 2025; OMR 20 replacement |
 Kuwait | Civil ID (Bitaqa Madaniya) | Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) | KD 5 per year of validity (KD 2 online renewal fee on PACI/Sahel) | 1 to 3 years (expats); up to 10 (citizens); KD 2 per day late fine |
Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together
A headline fee on its own is misleading. A lower fee renewed every year can cost more across three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Both columns matter.
What you are paying for
A GCC national identity card is the physical and digital proof that a resident exists in the country's population register. The Emirates ID in the UAE, the Iqama card in Saudi Arabia, the Qatar ID (QID), the Bahrain Central Population Registry card (CPR), the Civil ID (Bitaqa Madaniya) in Kuwait, and the Resident Card in Oman all serve the same function: they tie a person to a unique national number, store biometric data, host the digital signature used on government portals, and act as the de facto access key to banking, health, telecom, schooling, and labour services. Without an active card the resident is locked out of UAE Pass, Nafath, Tawakkalna, eKey, Sanad, and Kuwait Mobile ID logins.
Each country anchors the card to a different authority. The UAE issues through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Saudi Arabia issues Iqama cards through the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat), printed via Absher and Muqeem workflows. Qatar issues through the General Directorate of Nationality, Borders and Expatriate Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, managed via the Metrash app and MOI portal. Bahrain issues through the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) on bahrain.bh, with delivery via Bahrain Post within two working days. Oman issues through the Royal Oman Police Directorate General of Civil Status. Kuwait issues through the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), with renewal payment via the K-Net rail on the PACI portal or Sahel app.
The application anatomy follows the residence file. A first-time card requires fingerprints, an iris scan in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and a fresh digital photograph captured at an accredited centre. Renewals are usually biometric-free unless the prior capture is more than five years old in the UAE or has missing fingerprints in Saudi Arabia. The resident or sponsor files online, pays the per-year card fee, and the printer queue picks up the order within hours. Cards are couriered to the registered address in the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman, or collected from a service centre in Kuwait and Qatar. Dependents are added under the primary file, but each receives their own card and number. Children get a card from infancy in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait; Saudi Arabia issues an Iqama record from birth but the physical Muqeem card is printed from age 15 in many categories.
Should you file it yourself, use a typing centre, or use a desk?
We run a paperwork desk, so treat this as coming from an interested party. It still contains the case for not paying us, because for a clean, simple filing that is the right answer.
Do it yourself
- Cost
- Government fee only
- Time
- Your own hours, plus any counter visit
- Best for
- Straightforward cases where every document is valid and the transaction is available in an app or portal.
- Watch out for
- A rejected submission costs you the resubmission and the wait, and the reason is often not explained.
Typing centre
- Cost
- Government fee plus a service fee per transaction
- Time
- One visit, usually same day if documents are complete
- Best for
- Transactions that still need a correctly formatted submission or original document sighting.
- Watch out for
- Service fees vary widely between centres and are rarely quoted separately from the government fee.
A desk like ours
- Cost
- Fixed fee quoted before we start, plus government fees at cost
- Time
- You send documents once and we handle the sequence
- Best for
- Cases already rejected once, sequences spanning several authorities, or deadlines where the fine exceeds the fee.
- Watch out for
- Not worth paying for a clean, simple filing you could complete in an app in ten minutes.
Decided you want it handled?
We file national id card in all six GCC states
Fixed fee quoted before we start, government fees shown separately at cost. Tell us the country and where you are stuck.
What the process looks like
- 1Check the expiry windowOpen the issuing portal (ICP Smart Services, Absher, Metrash, bahrain.bh, ROP eServices, or PACI portal) and confirm the renewal window. UAE opens 30 days early, Qatar 90 days, Saudi Arabia 30 days, Kuwait 60 days.
- 2Settle pre-requisites firstEnsure the residence visa is current, health insurance is active and visible on the national database, the LMRA or GOSI sponsor account is clear, and the registered mobile number receives OTPs.
- 3Pay the per-year card feePay through SADAD (Saudi Arabia), ICP wallet or UAE Pass (UAE), Metrash wallet (Qatar), eKey on bahrain.bh (Bahrain), Sanad or ROP wallet (Oman), or K-Net on PACI (Kuwait). Keep the receipt reference.
- 4Submit the renewal applicationFile via the portal with passport, residence reference, and a recent passport-style photo. The UAE accepts a self-uploaded photo for renewal cases; Saudi Arabia and Qatar reuse the on-file biometric photograph.
- 5Attend biometrics if requiredFirst-time issuance requires fingerprints and an iris scan at an ICP or Jawazat centre. Renewals usually skip this step unless the prior capture is over five years old or the file was flagged for mismatch.
- 6Track the print queueUse the portal tracking number to monitor printing and dispatch. Emirates ID and CPR show a courier handover; QID and Civil ID show a collection-ready status when the card reaches the service centre.
Traps that differ between countries
- The card cannot survive the residence visa: if your Iqama, RP, or Emirates ID residence is cancelled, the card is invalidated in the national database within days even though the plastic still looks valid.
- Address changes must be filed in every country and on every system. UAE residents update via ICP and Ejari linkage; Saudi residents via Absher national-address (a separate Wasel record); Bahrain residents via eKey on bahrain.bh.
- Moving between GCC states means surrendering the old card and capturing fresh biometrics; no card or number transfers, including between UAE and Saudi Arabia despite GCC integration.
- An out-of-date phone number on Absher, ICP, Metrash, bahrain.bh, ROP, or PACI blocks OTP-driven renewals and any SADAD or K-Net payment that depends on two-factor authentication.
- The Saudi Iqama card and the Saudi residence are technically separate transactions in 2026: paying the Iqama fee without paying the work-permit levy still blocks the card print.
- Qatar issues the QID to children at birth, but the card is collected by the sponsor at MOI; failing to collect within 30 days starts the QAR 10/day clock once the grace ends.
Who has to pay this
- Every resident from birth onwards, including newborns who must be registered with ICP, MOI, iGA, ROP, or PACI within 30 to 120 days of birth
- Expat workers under any employer or sponsor where the card prints automatically after Iqama, RP, or LMRA permit issuance
- Family dependents (spouse, children, parents) whose card is linked to the primary sponsor's residence file
- Domestic workers under Article 20 (Kuwait), Musaned (Saudi Arabia), or Tadbeer (UAE) channels who must carry the card with the household sponsor's contact
- GCC citizens visiting or relocating who need a national-ID record for property purchase, schooling, or driving-licence conversion
- Investors and free-zone shareholders whose self-sponsored residence prints an Emirates ID, CPR, or QID in the investor's own name
What pushes the cost above the headline fee
- Letting the card expire triggers daily fines: AED 20 in the UAE, SAR 500 first offence in Saudi Arabia, QAR 10 after the 14-day grace in Qatar (since June 2026, previously 30), KD 2 in Kuwait.
- Out-of-date phone number or address on the national register blocks every OTP-driven step and stalls SADAD or K-Net payment confirmation.
- Skipping the insurance renewal: UAE DHA, Saudi CCHI, Qatar Hamad seha, and Oman MOH all enforce active insurance before the card prints.
- Lost-card replacement attracts a higher fee everywhere: AED 300 in the UAE, BHD 10 in Bahrain, QAR 200 in Qatar, SAR 100 in Saudi Arabia, OMR 20 in Oman, KD 20 in Kuwait.
- Renewing the Emirates ID without first renewing the residence: ICP will accept payment but the card stays locked until the residence file is also updated.
- Adding a newborn after the registration window: AED 100 per day in the UAE, SAR 100 per day in Saudi Arabia, QAR 25 per day in Qatar accrue against the child's file.
National ID Card by country
United Arab EmiratesEmirates IDSaudi ArabiaIqama (Muqeem card)QatarQatar ID (QID)BahrainCPR (Central Population Registry card)OmanResident CardKuwaitCivil ID (Bitaqa Madaniya)Costs you will hit at the same time
Guides that go deeper
Frequently asked questions
It varies substantially by country because each state sets its own schedule. United Arab Emirates: AED 100 per year of validity + AED 70 typing or AED 40 online service fee. Saudi Arabia: SAR 650 per year + SAR 9,600 work-permit levy on employer. Qatar: QAR 500 for 1 year or QAR 900 for 3 years (20% discount on triennial). The table on this page lists all six. Treat every figure as indicative and confirm with the issuing authority before paying, since fees change.
Not always, and we would rather say so. If your documents are valid and the transaction is available in an app, file it yourself. Paying a service fee makes sense when a submission has already been rejected without explanation, when several authorities are involved in sequence, or when a deadline fine would exceed the fee.
Comparing headline fees alone is misleading, because renewal cycles differ between states. A lower fee renewed annually can cost more over three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together, both of which are in the table on this page.
Because the government fee is only one line. Typing or service centre fees, urgent processing surcharges, delivery, medical tests, insurance and translation are charged separately, and providers bundle them differently. Ask for the government fee and the service fee split out before agreeing to anything.
They are indicative planning figures drawn from the issuing authorities and consistent public sources, and they are dated. Government fees change without much notice and free zone schedules are set independently. Always confirm the current amount with the issuing authority before you pay.
You are still inside the 30-day Emirates ID grace window. Open ICP Smart Services or UAE Pass, choose Renew Emirates ID, confirm your residence is also current, and pay the per-year card fee (AED 100 per year of residence validity plus AED 40 online service fee). Keep the renewal reference and tell your bank, employer, and telecom that a new card is in transit; most accept the digital UAE Pass identity in the interim. If you cross day 30 the AED 20 per day fine starts, capped at AED 1,000, and the file is paid before printing.
Government cost is AED 100 per year of validity. A two-year private-sector resident pays AED 200 for the card. Online service fee is AED 40 through ICP Smart Services or UAE Pass; a typing centre charges AED 70 to AED 100. Express Fawri printing adds AED 150 for 24-hour issuance. Total for a typical two-year renewal at a typing centre runs around AED 370. Golden Visa Emirates IDs follow the same per-year rate, so a five-year card is AED 500 plus the service fee.
A one-year QID renewal is QAR 500. A three-year renewal is QAR 900, giving a 20% discount per year over the annual cycle (effective QAR 300 per year versus QAR 500). The three-year route is available through Metrash only if your residence permit also runs three years, and most private-sector RPs cap at one year unless the employer is an investor-grade entity. Home delivery via Q-Post costs an additional QAR 20 collected on delivery; pickup at MOI service centres is free.
Since 2026 Absher and Muqeem permit Iqama renewal for dependents outside the Kingdom provided the sponsor is physically present in Saudi Arabia and all fees (SAR 650 plus the SAR 9,600 work-permit levy plus dependent monthly fees if any) are paid. The primary worker themselves usually needs to be inside Saudi Arabia for renewal, and Jawazat may flag accounts where the absence exceeds 180 days. Confirm in Absher before paying because once the SADAD payment posts the renewal proceeds with no refund route.
Want national id card handled without the counter?
We quote a fixed fee before we start, with government fees shown separately at cost. If your case is simple enough to do yourself, we will tell you that instead.