For UAE residents
A second passport when you live in the UAE
Living in the UAE does not lead to its citizenship, so a second passport has to come from elsewhere. Here is what changes when you apply from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
Information checked 4 October 2026
What changes in the UAE
Three things decide your options
Your nationality
Programmes accept or refuse applicants by nationality, not by where they live. Some bar nationalities common in the UAE.
Your home country's law
Whether you can keep your current passport depends on your home government, not on the programme you choose.
UAE paperwork
Police clearance, attestation and Emirates ID copies come from UAE bodies, and they take time to collect.
Emirati citizenship
Not for sale
There is no UAE citizenship-by-investment programme. A foreigner can become Emirati only by nomination, through the Rulers' and Crown Princes' Courts, the executive councils and the Cabinet. The 2021 change that named investors among the eligible groups did not create an application route: nomination is still required.
Dual citizenship
Will you keep the passport you have?
Each answer comes from the home government's own law or ministry.
| Current citizenship | What its own law says about taking a second one |
|---|---|
| India | India does not permit dual citizenship. An Indian citizen who voluntarily acquires another country's citizenship automatically ceases to be an Indian citizen (Citizenship Act 1955, s.9(1)). The fallback for former Indians is the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card (s.7A), which is not citizenship. |
| Pakistan | Permitted with conditions. The default rule (Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, s.14(1)) is that a Pakistani who also holds another citizenship loses Pakistani citizenship unless they renounce the other one. s.14(3) exempts the UK and countries the Federal Government notifies. DGI&P lists 22 such countries: UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Switzerland, Netherlands, USA, Sweden, Ireland, Bahrain, Denmark, Germany (only for children born in Germany), Norway, Luxembourg. The UAE is not on the list. |
| Philippines | Permitted with conditions. Under RA 9225 (2003), natural-born Filipinos who become foreign citizens keep or re-acquire Philippine citizenship by taking the oath of allegiance; those naturalised abroad before the Act re-acquire it the same way. |
| Egypt | Permitted with permission. Egyptian law allows dual nationality, but an Egyptian acquiring a foreign nationality must apply for permission to keep Egyptian nationality; the Minister of Interior decides (via the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality), about 90 days after the application. |
| United Kingdom | Permitted. A British citizen can acquire another citizenship without losing British citizenship, and no application is needed. |
| Russia | Acquiring another citizenship does not end Russian citizenship. But Russia treats a dual or multiple national only as a Russian citizen, unless a federal law or treaty says otherwise (Federal Law No. 138-FZ of 28 April 2023, art. 10). |
| Iran | Acquiring another nationality does not end Iranian nationality. Iranians cannot give up their nationality except on conditions that include age 25, Council of Ministers permission and completed military service (Civil Code art. 988), so in practice dual nationals remain Iranian nationals under Iranian law. |
| Lebanon | Tolerated in practice. Lebanon's General Security treats Lebanese citizens who hold another nationality as a recognised category (they can get a courtesy residence permit on their second nationality). No official page states the legal rule outright. |
| Nigeria | Nigerians by birth may hold another citizenship. A Nigerian who is not a citizen by birth (registered or naturalised) forfeits Nigerian citizenship if they acquire or keep another citizenship that they do not hold by birth (Constitution 1999, s.28). |
| China | Not permitted. China does not recognise dual nationality, and a Chinese national who settles abroad and voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality automatically loses Chinese nationality (Nationality Law arts. 3 and 9). |
Lebanon's entry rests on how its General Security treats dual nationals, because the law itself could not be read from an official source. Fifteen nationalities, and the UAE's own rule, are on our dual citizenship page.
Eligibility
Which programmes accept your nationality
“Not accepted” means the programme's official pages refuse that nationality; “conditions” means refused unless stated conditions are met; a dash means the pages say nothing about it, which your agent will confirm.
| Nationality | Dominica | Grenada | St Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Antigua and Barbuda | Vanuatu | Türkiye | São Tomé and Príncipe | Nauru |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pakistan | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Philippines | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Egypt | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| United Kingdom | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Russia | Not accepted | – | Not accepted | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Iran | Conditions | – | Not accepted | – | Conditions | – | – | – | – |
| Lebanon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nigeria | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| China | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Syria | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Iraq | Not accepted (Northern Iraq only) | – | Not accepted | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Yemen | Not accepted | – | – | – | Conditions | – | – | – | – |
| Afghanistan | – | – | Not accepted | – | Conditions | – | – | – | – |
From each programme's eligibility pages, checked 4 October 2026.
Documents
What you will collect in the UAE
- Police clearance from Dubai Police or the Ministry of Interior.
- A copy of your Emirates ID.
- Bank and salary letters, attested if needed.
- Birth and marriage certificates with their attestation chain.
Run from Dubai
One programme has its unit in the UAE
São Tomé and Príncipe's citizenship unit gives its head office as Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai. The other eight are run from their own countries. Eight of the nine accept applications only through licensed agents; Türkiye is the exception, where the investor applies in person or through a proxy.
Prices on this site are in US dollars; the dirham is pegged to the dollar at 3.6725.
Questions people ask
Can I get UAE citizenship by investing?
No. There is no UAE citizenship-by-investment programme. A foreigner can become Emirati only by nomination, and the 2021 change that named investors among the eligible groups did not create an application route.
Which UAE documents will I need?
Typically a police clearance certificate, a copy of your Emirates ID, bank and salary letters, and attested birth and marriage certificates. Our printable checklist names the UAE body that issues or attests each one.
Is any programme run from the UAE?
Yes. São Tomé and Príncipe's citizenship unit gives its head office as Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai. The other eight are run from their own countries.
Request a private consultation
Sources and last checked
- u.ae (Official Portal of the UAE Government), Emirati nationality, checked 4 October 2026
- India Code (Government of India), The Citizenship Act, 1955 [as on 15 April 2026], s.9, checked 4 October 2026
- Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGI&P), Government of Pakistan, Dual Nationality, checked 4 October 2026
- Bureau of Immigration (Philippines), Republic Act No. 9225, checked 4 October 2026
- Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Washington DC, Dual Citizenship, checked 4 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Dual citizenship, checked 4 October 2026
- President of Russia (kremlin.ru), Federal Law No. 138-FZ 'On Citizenship of the Russian Federation', art. 10(2), checked 4 October 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Citizenship Services, checked 4 October 2026
- Lebanese General Directorate of General Security, Courtesy Residence, checked 4 October 2026
- National Human Rights Commission (Nigeria), Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Cap. C23 LFN 2004), s.28(1), checked 4 October 2026
- National People's Congress of the PRC, Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, art. 9, checked 4 October 2026
- Citizenship by Investment Unit of Dominica — Banned nationalities, checked 4 October 2026
- Investment Migration Agency Grenada, checked 4 October 2026
- Citizenship by Investment Unit of St Kitts and Nevis — Eligibility criteria, checked 4 October 2026
- Citizenship by Investment Unit of Saint Lucia, checked 4 October 2026
- Citizenship by Investment Unit of Antigua and Barbuda — FAQ, checked 4 October 2026
- Vanuatu Citizenship Office, checked 4 October 2026
- Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment Office — Acquiring property and citizenship, checked 4 October 2026
- São Tomé and Príncipe Citizenship by Investment Program (official CIU site), Eligibility & Criteria, checked 4 October 2026
- Naoero Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program (official site), How to Apply - Eligibility Criteria, checked 4 October 2026
- Dubai Police, Police Clearance Certificate, checked 4 October 2026
- Abu Dhabi Police news (MoI announcement, dated 9 Sep 2015), checked 4 October 2026
- u.ae, Emirates ID, checked 4 October 2026
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQs, checked 4 October 2026
- São Tomé and Príncipe CIU (cip.gov.st) — Contact Us, checked 4 October 2026
- NVİ — Yabancı Yatırımcıların İstisnai Olarak Türk Vatandaşlığını Kazanmalarına İlişkin Usul ve Esaslar (Art. 3(1)), checked 4 October 2026
- Central Bank of the UAE, Annual Report 2014, checked 4 October 2026