The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has quietly rolled out a powerful new safety net for the UAE’s roughly 160,000 Golden Visa holders. Effective 31 October 2025, residents who lose or damage their passports while outside the country can request an electronic Return Permit that is approved in about half an hour and e-mailed directly to the traveller’s phone. The document is single-use, free of charge and remains valid for seven days—enough time to board the next available flight back to any UAE airport.
Golden Visa holders have long enjoyed the right to live and work in the Emirates for up to ten years without a local sponsor, but until now they depended on routine consular protocols if their passport was lost or stolen. Those procedures could stretch into several days, leaving businesspeople and their families stranded and facing unexpected costs. The new service closes that gap. Applicants log into the MoFA portal or mobile app with UAE Pass, upload a police report of the lost passport and a recent photo, and the permit is delivered in about 30 minutes—as fast as most airlines’ online check-in windows.
The reform sits within a broader package of consular privileges that MoFA says now extend to Golden Visa dependants as well. A dedicated 24-hour hotline (+971 2 493 1133) will triage requests for evacuation during crises, coordinate emergency medical or legal assistance and facilitate repatriation of mortal remains. Those supports were previously reserved for Emirati citizens.
For international companies, the move reduces duty-of-care risk when relocating senior talent to the UAE. Multinationals typically purchase bespoke travel-risk insurance to cover passport loss; the new permit could lower those premiums and shorten employee downtime. Global mobility managers should update crisis-management playbooks to incorporate the MoFA hotline and the seven-day validity rule for the permit.
Immigration advisers expect demand for the ten-year visa category to rise as word spreads. The UAE has steadily widened eligibility—from investors and scientists to teachers, e-sports professionals and, most recently, super-yacht owners—making the residence class a cornerstone of the country’s talent-attraction strategy. By embedding consular protection, authorities are signalling that long-term residents are integral to the national brand, not just welcomed guests.
Golden Visa holders have long enjoyed the right to live and work in the Emirates for up to ten years without a local sponsor, but until now they depended on routine consular protocols if their passport was lost or stolen. Those procedures could stretch into several days, leaving businesspeople and their families stranded and facing unexpected costs. The new service closes that gap. Applicants log into the MoFA portal or mobile app with UAE Pass, upload a police report of the lost passport and a recent photo, and the permit is delivered in about 30 minutes—as fast as most airlines’ online check-in windows.
The reform sits within a broader package of consular privileges that MoFA says now extend to Golden Visa dependants as well. A dedicated 24-hour hotline (+971 2 493 1133) will triage requests for evacuation during crises, coordinate emergency medical or legal assistance and facilitate repatriation of mortal remains. Those supports were previously reserved for Emirati citizens.
For international companies, the move reduces duty-of-care risk when relocating senior talent to the UAE. Multinationals typically purchase bespoke travel-risk insurance to cover passport loss; the new permit could lower those premiums and shorten employee downtime. Global mobility managers should update crisis-management playbooks to incorporate the MoFA hotline and the seven-day validity rule for the permit.
Immigration advisers expect demand for the ten-year visa category to rise as word spreads. The UAE has steadily widened eligibility—from investors and scientists to teachers, e-sports professionals and, most recently, super-yacht owners—making the residence class a cornerstone of the country’s talent-attraction strategy. By embedding consular protection, authorities are signalling that long-term residents are integral to the national brand, not just welcomed guests.
