Indian expatriates returning to the UAE are facing difficulties at Indian airports due to the lack of physical Emirates IDs, despite possessing valid digital versions. This issue has led to some passengers being prevented from boarding their flights, resulting in cancelled tickets, travel delays, and financial losses.
Azeem Ahmed, an Indian expat working as a sales executive in Sharjah, recently encountered this problem at Bajpe Airport in Mangalore. Although he had the digital version of his UAE visa, immigration officials insisted on seeing his physical Emirates ID card, which he had forgotten to bring. “I had gone to India to bring my family back after vacation, but I forgot my Emirates ID due to sudden travel plans,” Ahmed explained. Consequently, he had to cancel his tickets and wait five days for the ID to be sent from the UAE, causing him to miss work and face salary deductions.
A Malayalam media channel, Siraj Live, reported a similar incident involving a traveller from Thiruvananthapuram who was stopped by airline staff for not having his physical Emirates ID. Bysil, a resident of Pulluvila, Thiruvananthapuram, was denied boarding by Air India Express staff at Thiruvananthapuram Airport because he did not have his physical Emirates ID. Despite presenting his digital ID and valid visa on his passport and the UAE mobile app, the airline staff refused to accept these documents.
Frustrated by the experience, Bysil contacted airline officials, who confirmed that there were no restrictions for travelling with a digital ID and visa. He is now considering legal action against the airline for the inconsistent policies at the airport. “We urge them to carry the Emirates ID,” said Taha Siddique, owner of Siddique Travels. “Whenever a person books a ticket with us, we advise them to carry the Emirates ID, regardless of their destination. After the UAE stopped stamping visas on passports, such cases became common at Indian airports, though they have decreased recently.”
Libin Varghese, sales director at Rooh Travel and Tourism, also shared his experience of being stopped at an Indian airport for visa authentication. “Many residents do not have a visa stamp on their passports, and the Emirates ID is now considered the UAE's visa copy,” he said. “Staff at Indian airports often insist on seeing the physical card.” In 2022, the UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security announced that Emirates ID cards now serve as the official proof of residency, replacing the previous practice of stamping visas in passports. The updated Emirates ID includes all necessary residency information, and airport immigration counters can read this data digitally.
