Move, UAE

UAE PASS for New Residents: Setup, Emirates ID Verification & What You Can Use It For

UAE PASS for new residents: how to set it up, why Emirates ID verification matters, what a verified account unlocks and where you can use it.

ExpatTurtle

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October 28, 2026

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3–4 minutes

Hand holding a smartphone with mobile apps displayed on the screen — Photo by Emmanuel Jason Eliphalet via Pexels.

Quick answer: UAE PASS is the UAE’s national digital identity. New residents can use it to sign in to participating government and private-sector services, verify identity and, once the account is fully verified, digitally sign supported documents. The app can be set up before every service is available, but Emirates ID-based verification is what unlocks the strongest resident identity features.

Last verified: 1 October 2026 against official UAE PASS guidance. Exact services available through UAE PASS depend on whether a government or private provider has integrated with the platform.

What is UAE PASS?

UAE PASS describes itself as the UAE’s first national digital identity for citizens, residents and visitors. It is jointly operated with Digital Dubai, the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority and the Department of Government Enablement.

The platform’s main functions are:

secure sign-in to participating websites and apps;
digital signatures and signature verification;
sharing official digital documents with supported organisations.

How to set up UAE PASS

Download the official UAE PASS app.
Create an account using the identity and contact details requested in the app.
Verify your mobile number and email.
Complete identity verification when prompted.
Use Emirates ID-based verification or an available UAE PASS verification channel to upgrade the account.
Set your PIN/biometric login where supported.

Basic vs verified UAE PASS accounts

Official UAE PASS technical guidance distinguishes between an unverified basic account and verified account levels. A basic unverified account has verified contact details but does not get the full digital-signature and document-sharing capability. Fully verified accounts can use stronger authentication and qualified digital-signature functions where the service provider supports them.

Why Emirates ID verification matters

For residents, Emirates ID is a key identity attribute used by many UAE PASS-integrated services. If your Emirates ID has just been issued and the app cannot verify it yet, do not create duplicate accounts. Use UAE PASS account recovery/support or an official verification channel instead.

What can you use UAE PASS for?

UAE PASS is integrated with many government, semi-government and private-sector organisations. Current partners include entities such as Dubai Police, Dubai Land Department, DEWA, RTA, DubaiNow, banks, health providers and other service providers.

Depending on the provider, UAE PASS may let you:

sign in without creating another username/password;
pre-fill verified identity data;
digitally sign supported documents;
verify a UAE PASS digital signature;
request or share supported official documents.

Not every partner supports every feature. Some offer sign-in only, while others also support digital signature or document sharing.

Can you digitally sign documents yourself?

Yes, where your verified account and the document workflow support it. UAE PASS allows digital signing through the mobile app and participating services. Official guidance says the basic unverified account does not have access to the full digital-signature capability.