UAE police clearance from outside the UAE: no flight back, but fingerprints set the pace

Tips · 2026-10-15 · 10 min read

A South Asian man sorts papers beside a passport, blank fingerprint card and laptop at a sunlit desk at home.

You can get a UAE police clearance from outside the UAE without booking a flight back. Dubai Police accepts applications from people abroad who have previously entered the country, for a fee of AED 300 (or $88) plus a knowledge and innovation fee of AED 20. It asks for a photo, your passport, your old residence visa and, if it holds no fingerprints for you, a ten-print card certified by the UAE Embassy. The certificate itself takes 5 working days, so most of your planning goes into the fingerprint step and the timing.

This guide is for people who have already moved on, whether back home or to another posting in Riyadh, Doha or Muscat. If you still live in the UAE, start with our comparison of the two UAE police certificates for residents instead.

First, confirm Australia or New Zealand will ask for it

Check the need before you begin. Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from each country you lived in, usually when you are over 17 and stayed there for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. A few years in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah that ended some time ago can still fall inside that window.

The Home Affairs character requirements also set the coverage: a certificate must cover the period from age 16 to its issue date, or your whole stay in that country. Home Affairs treats it as valid for 12 months from issue. The Dubai Police certificate is a statement of good conduct in the UAE, which is the stay you need covered.

One exemption can remove the task altogether. If your employer sponsors you for a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa as an accredited sponsor, and you attach its reference confirming good character and no criminal convictions, you do not need police certificates from countries other than Australia. Ask about accredited status before you contact any embassy; our in-depth guide to the 482 visa sets out how the visa works.

New Zealand runs its own character test. Accredited Employer Work Visa applicants must be of good character, and Immigration New Zealand asks each applicant to check whether police certificates are needed in their case. Read the Immigration New Zealand AEWV page and our guide to the AEWV before ordering anything.

Why Dubai Police is the practical route once you have left

Home Affairs' country information for the United Arab Emirates names two contacts for police checks: the Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police. Both are official issuers, but they are designed around different situations.

The Ministry of Interior's Criminal Clearance Certificate is requested through its smart app and website with a UAE PASS login, and residents applying need an ID card issued in the UAE. That set-up fits people who still live in the country.

The Dubai Police clearance certificate service, by contrast, says in plain terms that people outside the UAE can apply, on one stated condition: that they have entered the UAE before. You apply with your Emirates ID number, and that number can be from a valid or an expired card. For a former resident, Dubai Police is the route whose requirements for applicants abroad are published; ask the Ministry of Interior directly if you would rather use its service.

If you have not flown out yet, our guide to the UAE visa cancellation grace period helps you fit document requests into your final weeks, while you are still in the country.

What Dubai Police asks applicants abroad to provide

The list is short: have every item scanned before you open the form.

Item	What to prepare	Good to know
Personal photo	A clear photograph of yourself	Requested from every applicant outside the UAE
Passport copy	A legible copy of your current passport	Use the passport you will travel on for your visa
Previous residence visa	A copy of the UAE residence visa you held	Search old passports, scans and email folders early
Emirates ID number	The number from your Emirates ID card	A valid or an expired card both work
Ten-print fingerprint card	Your fingerprints on a ten-print form, certified by the UAE Embassy	Needed only if Dubai Police holds no fingerprints for you

The fingerprint card sets the pace

When Dubai Police has no fingerprints on file for you, the application needs a ten-print fingerprint copy certified by the UAE Embassy. That part happens in the country where you now live, and it moves at the embassy's pace rather than the 5 working days quoted for the certificate.

Contact the UAE Embassy in your current country early. Ask how it certifies fingerprint cards, what it needs you to bring and whether there is a charge. If you cannot tell whether your prints are already on file, plan as though the card will be needed; it is easier to drop a step than to add one late.

What the certificate costs, in dirhams and closer to home

For applicants outside the UAE, Dubai Police lists a fee of AED 300 (or $88), plus a knowledge and innovation fee of AED 20. That comes to AED 320 before any embassy charge for the fingerprint card.

As a rough comparison only, at the Central Bank of the UAE rates published on 7 October 2026, AED 320 is about SAR 327, QAR 317 or AUD 125. The Central Bank updates its rates daily, so check the figure on the day you pay.

Budget for the whole file, not only this certificate. Home Affairs reminds applicants that, besides the visa charge, they pay separately for English tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Timing the certificate against your visa application

Three periods meet here. Dubai Police issues the certificate in 5 working days and states it is valid for 3 months from issue. Home Affairs accepts police certificates for 12 months from the issue date. The shorter 3-month period is the one to plan around.

Because the embassy fingerprint step may take longer than the certificate itself, start it as soon as an offer looks likely. Then submit the Dubai Police application once your visa application is close to lodgement, or when a case officer asks, so the certificate is still fresh when it reaches your file.

If any page you receive is not in English, Home Affairs requires an English translation provided together with the original. A translator outside Australia does not need to be accredited, but must include their full name, address, phone number and language qualifications and experience.

If you are weighing sponsored roles now, such as this CNC machinist role in Sydney, put the fingerprint card on your list at the same time as your CV and references.

If your career moved on to another Gulf country

A path that ran from Dubai to Riyadh or Muscat can mean more than one certificate. The 12-month test applies to each country you lived in, so a later posting of a year or more may need its own certificate, alongside the one from your home country.

Home Affairs' country information lists these issuers for the wider Gulf:

Saudi Arabia: the Absher e-portal and the Ministry of Interior.
Oman: Royal Oman Police certificate electronic services.
Kuwait: the Ministry of Interior and the Sahel app.
Bahrain: the Good Conduct Certificate on the Ministry of Interior e-portal.

For Qatar, open the country dropdown on the Home Affairs services outside Australia page and confirm the issuer there before you apply.

Applying from abroad, in order

Confirm the requirement: ask whether your 482 sponsor is accredited, wait for the request in your Australian application, or check the INZ page for New Zealand.
Gather your copies: passport, previous UAE residence visa, a clear photo and your Emirates ID number.
Find out whether Dubai Police holds your fingerprints. If not, contact the UAE Embassy where you live and have a ten-print card certified.
Apply on the official Dubai Police service as an applicant outside the UAE, and pay AED 300 (or $88) plus the AED 20 fee.
Allow 5 working days for issue, then check that your name and passport details match the rest of your visa file.
Arrange an English translation of any page that is not in English, and upload the certificate to your application in ImmiAccount.
Note two dates in your calendar: 3 months from issue for Dubai Police, and 12 months from issue for Home Affairs.

Common mistakes

Booking a trip back to apply. Dubai Police accepts applicants outside the UAE who have previously entered the country, so check the remote route before you spend on flights.
Leaving the fingerprint card until last. The embassy step sits outside the 5 working days Dubai Police quotes, and its timing is not in your hands.
Applying the day you start job hunting. A certificate valid for 3 months can lapse before you lodge, and a fresh one means paying the fee again.
Losing the old residence visa copy. The application asks for it, so look for it in old passports, scans and email while you are still organised.
Forgetting the other countries. A year or more in Saudi Arabia, Oman or Qatar after the UAE may call for a second certificate, as well as one from your home country.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a UAE police clearance if I no longer live in the UAE?

Yes. Dubai Police accepts applications from people outside the UAE who have previously entered the country. You send a personal photo, a passport copy and a copy of your previous residence visa, plus a ten-print fingerprint card certified by the UAE Embassy if Dubai Police has no fingerprints on file for you.

How much does a Dubai Police clearance cost from outside the UAE?

Dubai Police lists AED 300 (or $88) for applicants outside the UAE, plus a knowledge and innovation fee of AED 20, which makes AED 320 in total. Ask the UAE Embassy separately whether it charges anything for certifying a fingerprint card.

Do I need a fingerprint card certified by the UAE Embassy?

Only when Dubai Police does not already hold your fingerprints. In that case the application needs a ten-print fingerprint copy certified by the UAE Embassy, which you arrange in the country where you live now, before you apply.

Can I apply with an expired Emirates ID?

Yes. Dubai Police uses your Emirates ID number for the application, and the number can come from a valid or an expired card. Keep a photo or a note of it with your passport copies so it is ready when you fill in the form.

How long will the certificate stay valid for an Australian visa?

Dubai Police issues the certificate in 5 working days and states that it is valid for 3 months from the date of issue. Home Affairs accepts police certificates for 12 months from issue, so apply when your application is close to lodgement to stay inside both periods.

Key takeaways

Former residents can apply to Dubai Police from abroad if they have previously entered the UAE.
From outside the UAE: AED 300 (or $88) plus AED 20, issued in 5 working days, valid for 3 months.
Prepare a photo, a passport copy, your old residence visa copy and your Emirates ID number.
With no fingerprints on file, the UAE Embassy-certified ten-print card is the step to start first.
Check the accredited 482 sponsor exemption, and every other country where you lived 12 months or more.

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