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Lebanese passport renewal in Dubai: fees, documents, wait time and RL passports
- What it is
- Getting a new Lebanese biometric passport while living in Dubai or the Northern Emirates. You apply at the Consulate General in Dubai; the passport is produced by General Security in Beirut and sent back to the consulate.
- What it costs
- AED 1,103 for 10 years (adult), AED 552 for 5 years (minor), Dubai consulate fees recorded on 06.10.2026; DHL Fast Track option: US$143.03 extra.
- How long
- 6 to 8 weeks by diplomatic bag; 2 to 3 weeks with DHL Fast Track, according to the consulate.
The steps
- before anything else
Check your case
Biometric passport: new passport at the consulate. Old RL passport, aged 15 to 60: ask the consulate whether first applications are open in Dubai; if not, it is done in Lebanon.
- a few days
Gather the documents
Form, current passport, copies of your residence permit, Lebanese identity card or individual civil status extract, two 3.5 x 4.3 cm photos.
- 1 day
Choose the delivery route
Diplomatic bag, or DHL Fast Track: register and pay online before going, print the 11-page DHL document.
- 1 morning
Apply in person
During application hours, with the exact amount. Minor: both parents, or one parent with the other's power of attorney.
- 2 to 8 weeks
Track the arrival
Diplomatic bag: notices on the consulate website, by application date. DHL: confirmation email.
- 1 hour
Collect the passport
In person, with your current passport and the original receipt.
What it really costs
| 10-year biometric passport (adult) | AED 1,103 |
| 5-year biometric passport (minor) | AED 552 |
| DHL Fast Track option (online, by card) | US$143.03 |
| Laissez-passer (loss, damaged passport) | AED 111 |
| Two passport photos | variable |
| Observed total | AED 1,103 (adult, 10 years, diplomatic bag) |
Amounts recorded on 06.10.2026.
What most often gets stuck
- Old “RL” passport, aged 15 to 60: according to the consulate, the first biometric passport is issued in Lebanon. General Security is opening this service mission by mission; nothing official for the UAE on 23.10.2026 (service opened in Qatar on 20.10.2026).
- RL passport extended by hand: cancelled on entry to Lebanon since 25.06.2026, and it can no longer be used to leave Lebanon since 01.10.2026.
- Resident of the emirate of Abu Dhabi: served by the embassy in Abu Dhabi, not the Dubai consulate.
- Wrong photo format: 3.5 x 4.3 cm, white background, at the consulate.
- Identity card or civil status extract missing, or with details that differ from the passport.
- Minor: one parent absent without a power of attorney.
- Old passport lost or damaged: no new passport at the consulate, only a laissez-passer to return to Lebanon.
Lebanese passport renewal in Dubai is handled by the Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai and the Northern Emirates: AED 1,103 for a 10-year biometric passport (adult), AED 552 for 5 years (minor). Allow 6 to 8 weeks by diplomatic bag, or 2 to 3 weeks with the paid DHL Fast Track option, according to the consulate. You apply and collect in person. If you only hold an old “RL” passport and are between 15 and 60, the consulate still sends you to General Security in Lebanon (situation on 6 October 2026).
Who the Dubai consulate serves
The Consulate General covers the emirates of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The emirate of Abu Dhabi is not included: its residents go to the Embassy of Lebanon in Abu Dhabi. The embassy website could not be reached on 6 October 2026, so we could not check its fees or wait times.
After renovation works, the consulate resumed all services on Friday 4 September 2026. From 24 July until then, most procedures were redirected to the embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Which case are you?
- You already have a biometric passport: you apply for a new passport at the consulate. A biometric passport is never renewed by hand.
- You only have an old “RL” passport (2003 model) and are between 15 and 60: according to the consulate, the first biometric passport is issued in Lebanon. See below.
- You are under 15 or over 60: you can apply for your first biometric passport at the consulate.
- Lost or damaged passport, or a newborn: specific rules, below.
Documents to provide (biometric passport)
Consulate list, recorded on 6 October 2026:
- the application form, completed online and printed, or filled in at the consulate;
- your current passport and two photocopies;
- two photocopies of your valid UAE residence permit;
- the new Lebanese identity card or an individual civil status extract (ikhraj qaid fardi), with two copies;
- two recent passport photos, white background, 3.5 x 4.3 cm;
- if you choose DHL Fast Track: the 11-page DHL document, printed.
The details in your passport must match those on your identity card or civil status extract. If they do not, General Security requires an individual civil status extract less than three months old.
Fees and payment
- 10-year biometric passport (adult): AED 1,103;
- 5-year biometric passport (minor): AED 552;
- DHL Fast Track option: US$143.03, paid online by card before you go to the consulate;
- laissez-passer: AED 111.
The passport page asks for payment in cash, preferably the exact amount, but also says “or by card” next to the fees. The safest option: bring the exact amount in cash.
These fees are roughly half those the consulate displayed in 2023 (AED 2,210 for 10 years, AED 1,105 for 5 years). If you see an older figure elsewhere, rely on the consulate’s current page.
Wait time: diplomatic bag or DHL Fast Track
Diplomatic bag: 6 to 8 weeks according to the consulate. There is no individual tracking: the consulate posts the arrival of each batch on its website, by application date. On 6 October 2026, the latest notice covered applications submitted up to 13 August 2026. Wait until your date is announced before going to collect.
DHL Fast Track: 2 to 3 weeks according to the consulate. Register and pay on the DHL platform before applying, then add the DHL document to your file. You collect the passport the day after DHL’s confirmation email. General Security, for its part, gives 20 to 40 working days for a passport sent by DHL, and 7 working days for an urgent application by DHL Express.
When collecting, bring your current passport and the original receipt given when you applied. The old passport is cancelled.
You only have an old “RL” passport
Since 1 June 2023, the Dubai consulate no longer issues old-model passports. According to the consulate, an “RL” passport holder who has never had a biometric passport must apply directly to General Security in Lebanon. Only people under 15 and over 60 can make this first application at the consulate. A 2023 consulate notice said “under 16”: if in doubt, ask.
General Security is opening first biometric passport applications from abroad one mission at a time. According to the Ministry of Interior, on 20 October 2026 the service was running in Kuwait, Paris, Detroit and Washington, and from that day in Qatar; it is to be extended gradually to the other Gulf countries. As of 23 October 2026, no official text announced it for the UAE, although a press article dated 6 October reported a launch “next week” in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Before planning a trip to Lebanon for this procedure alone, ask the consulate.
A handwritten renewal no longer solves the problem. The consulate’s page still offers to extend an “RL” passport for one or two years (AED 111 or 221, in one working day), against a signed commitment to obtain a biometric passport in Lebanon. But General Security states that it has not accepted applications for 2003-model passports since 16 July 2026, except in exceptional humanitarian cases. Above all, an “RL” passport, even extended, has been cancelled on entry to Lebanon since 25 June 2026, and since 1 October 2026 it can no longer be used to leave the country. See our alert on RL passports.
Getting a biometric passport in Lebanon during a stay
General Security sets aside Fridays, in its regional centres, for Lebanese citizens who hold a residence permit abroad (a residence permit, not a visa), with no quota. A double service fee is charged. Conditions:
- hold a valid residence permit abroad, or a foreign nationality;
- hold a passport valid for less than a year and a half, or have entered Lebanon with a laissez-passer;
- apply within 15 days of arrival.
You must attend in person: the centre takes your fingerprints and photo. Wait times published by General Security for an application at a regional centre: 7 working days if urgent, 30 working days otherwise. Fees: LBP 10,000,000 for 10 years, LBP 6,000,000 for 5 years, plus the service fee. Apply in the first days and plan a long enough stay: your “RL” passport will not let you leave.
Entering Lebanon with a 2003 passport extended by hand and a laissez-passer? General Security requires page 10 of the laissez-passer to bear the statement “Issued based on the Lebanese passport in his/her possession”.
Minors
Both parents must attend when applying, or one of them presents a power of attorney from the other. In case of divorce or death, the legal guardian presents guardianship papers issued in Lebanon. A minor’s passport is valid for 5 years (AED 552). Either parent can collect it.
For a newborn, the birth must first be registered at the consulate, then you need the child’s individual civil status extract, with a photo. Both parents apply with their passports and two photos of the child.
Lost or damaged passport
A new passport is issued only if the lost or damaged passport was biometric, or if you are under 15 or over 60. Otherwise, the consulate issues a laissez-passer (AED 111, 4 working days) to return directly to Lebanon, where you apply for the biometric passport.
Documents on top of the usual ones: for a loss, the original police report and a copy; a written statement explaining the loss or damage; two copies of the passport if possible; the damaged passport itself, if you have it.
Photos
The consulate asks for two 3.5 x 4.3 cm photos on a white background. General Security gives 4.5 x 3.5 cm on its own pages. In Dubai, follow the consulate’s instructions.
Consulate opening hours
Applications: Monday to Thursday 8.30 am to 12 noon, Friday 8.30 am to 11 am. Collection: Monday to Thursday 1 pm to 2 pm, Friday 11.30 am to 12.30 pm (12 noon on some pages of the site). The website mentions no appointments: files are received during application hours. The consulate is in Umm Hurair 1, Bur Dubai.
Did the consulate ask you for another document, or has the wait time changed? Report it.
Sources
- Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, “Lebanese Passport” (documents, fees, wait times, loss, minors), undated, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai, home page (services resumed 4 September 2026, opening hours, DHL fee), accessed 6 October 2026.
- Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai, “Announcements” (works from 24 July 2026, passport arrivals), accessed 6 October 2026.
- Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai, “Lebanese Passports Renewal – Electronic Passport”, 31 May 2023.
- Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai, “Lebanese Passports and Travel Documents Renewal – Electronic Type”, 20 December 2024.
- Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai, about the consulate and its district, accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, “Lebanese Passport Transactions at Lebanese Diplomatic Missions” (documents, DHL wait times), undated, accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, rules for biometric passport applications abroad (first application, Kuwait), undated, accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, biometric passports for Lebanese residents in the United States (in Arabic) (since 21 September 2026), accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, end of non-biometric 2003-model passports (in Arabic) (25 June and 1 October 2026), accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, 2003-model passports (in Arabic) (no applications accepted since 16 July 2026), accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, entry with a hand-renewed 2003 passport and a laissez-passer, accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, biometric passports for Lebanese citizens resident abroad (in Arabic) (Friday slot), accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, Lebanese passport fees and wait times (in Arabic), accessed 6 October 2026.
- General Security, “Biometric passport” (4.5 x 3.5 cm photo), accessed 6 October 2026.
- Ministry of Interior, biometric fingerprinting launched at the embassy in Qatar (in Arabic) (missions already open: Kuwait, Paris, Detroit, Washington), 20 October 2026, accessed 23 October 2026.
- Jadidouna (press, in Arabic), announced launch of biometric passports at several Gulf missions, 6 October 2026 (not confirmed by an official source).
Checked on 06.10.2026; first application and fees rechecked on 23.10.2026.