UAE PASS for Tax Purposes: How to Link EmaraTax with UAE PASS

Key Facts: UAE PASS (2026)

• UAE PASS is free. No registration fee, no subscription, for citizens, residents and visitors.
• Registration takes under 10 minutes in the app using your Emirates ID (residents), GCC ID, or passport (visitors).
• Since 30 September 2024, UAE PASS is the only login method for EmaraTax, the FTA’s tax portal.
• Face verification in the app creates a verified account in about 5 minutes. A kiosk visit is only needed if face verification fails or for the qualified signing certificate.
• Official support: 600 56 1111 and support@uaepass.ae. You can use UAE PASS on up to two devices.
• UAE PASS replaced SmartPass and DubaiID, which were retired in December 2020.

• What Is UAE PASS?
• UAE PASS Benefits and Uses
• How to Register for UAE PASS (Step by Step)
• Face Verification vs Kiosk Verification
• UAE PASS Kiosk Locations and What Happens There
• How to Log In to EmaraTax with UAE PASS
• Linking an Existing EmaraTax Account: 4 Scenarios
• TRC Portal and Corporate Tax Registration
• Troubleshooting, Recovery and Contact Number
• How Credora Can Help
• Frequently Asked Questions

UAE PASS is the first secure national digital identity for citizens, residents and visitors in the UAE. It was launched in 2018 and is jointly operated by federal digital government authorities. One account gives you a single login for thousands of government, semi-government and private services, plus a legally valid digital signature and a blockchain-secured digital vault for your official documents. If you used SmartPass or DubaiID before, those systems were merged into UAE PASS and retired in December 2020. UAE PASS is now the single national identity. There is no separate “UAE smart pass” today; searches for smart pass all lead to UAE PASS.

One clarification, because the name causes confusion: UAE PASS is a digital identity app. It is not related to travel or transport passes (like metro cards), immigration exit passes, or entertainment subscriptions. If you need the government login for EmaraTax, tax services or any UAE portal, UAE PASS is the one you want.

• One login for everything. Access government portals across all seven Emirates, plus banks, telecom providers and exchange houses, without separate usernames and passwords.
• Legally valid digital signature. Sign contracts, applications and official documents from the app or the self-care portal on uaepass.ae, and verify documents others have signed.
• Digital vault. Request digital versions of your official documents and share them with service providers, with blockchain traceability, instead of carrying paper.
• Mandatory tax access. UAE PASS is the only way to log in to EmaraTax for VAT, Corporate Tax and Excise Tax matters, and it also opens the Tax Residency Certificate portal.
• Free and fast. No fees, and a verified account can be created in about 5 minutes with in-app face verification.

UAE PASS registration and sign up is free and takes under 10 minutes. Here is the full process:

1. Download the UAE PASS app. The official UAE PASS download is on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store only. Do not download UAE PASS APK files from third-party websites; the app holds your Emirates ID identity, so treat it like a banking app.
2. Choose your account type and register. UAE citizens and residents register with their Emirates ID number (you can scan the card to speed this up). GCC citizens can use their national ID. Visitors register with their passport.
3. Verify your mobile number and email. Enter the OTP codes sent by SMS and email. You need an active UAE mobile number as a resident.
4. Set your PIN. Create a secure PIN and enable fingerprint or Face ID if you want faster approvals later.
5. Verify your identity. Complete face verification inside the app, or visit a UAE PASS kiosk. The next section explains which one you need.

There is no separate web-only registration for full accounts; the mobile app is the core of the system. The uaepass.ae self-care portal is used for signing documents, managing your profile and account recovery after you register.

An unverified UAE PASS account has limited access. To use government portals fully, including EmaraTax, your account should be in Verified status. There are two ways to get there: Option 1: Face verification in the app (recommended). The app captures your face in real time and matches it against your Emirates ID photo held in government systems. This creates a verified account in about 5 minutes, with no kiosk visit. Before facial ID existed, verification required a trip to a service centre; today most people never need one.

Option 2: Kiosk verification. Visit a UAE PASS kiosk with your physical Emirates ID. The kiosk verifies you by fingerprint. A kiosk visit is also how you obtain the qualified digital signing certificate and set a signing password, which some advanced document-signing transactions require. If in-app face verification keeps failing (lighting, camera or ID photo issues), the kiosk is your fallback.

How to find a UAE PASS kiosk near you: use the official kiosk locator on uaepass.ae (Kiosk Locations in the site menu) or inside the UAE PASS app. Kiosks are installed at government service centres, major malls and public locations across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the other Emirates. Always check the official locator before travelling, because kiosk locations and operating hours change; lists on blogs go stale quickly. What happens at the kiosk, in order:

1. Insert your Emirates ID into the machine.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions and scan your fingerprint for biometric verification.
3. Open the UAE PASS app and scan the QR code to link your device.
4. Create your qualified signing password for digital signatures, and wait for confirmation.

The whole visit typically takes a few minutes. Remember: if you only need a verified account for logins like EmaraTax, in-app face verification usually makes the kiosk trip unnecessary.

EmaraTax is the Federal Tax Authority’s online portal for VAT, Corporate Tax and Excise Tax: registration, return filing, payments, refunds and tax account management. From 30 September 2024, the FTA made UAE PASS the mandatory sign-up and login method for EmaraTax, phasing out the old email-and-password login. Every business and individual taxpayer needs a working, verified UAE PASS. Here is how to use UAE PASS to log in. The login itself is simple:

1. Go to the EmaraTax portal at eservices.tax.gov.ae and click Login with UAE PASS.
2. Enter your Emirates ID number, email or mobile number registered with UAE PASS. (To log in with your Emirates ID, your UAE PASS must be in Verified status; otherwise use your email or mobile.)
3. Approve the authentication notification in your UAE PASS app with your PIN or biometrics.
4. You land on your EmaraTax dashboard.

The first time you do this, EmaraTax needs to link your UAE PASS to a tax profile. What happens next depends on your situation, covered below.

Do this before a filing deadline, not on it. Businesses that leave UAE PASS registration or EmaraTax linking until the last VAT filing day of a quarter can face avoidable access issues. The link usually takes minutes when your UAE PASS is verified and your emails are available.

Tax Residency Certificates: the FTA’s dedicated TRC portal uses the same UAE PASS credentials as EmaraTax. Log in with UAE PASS, complete the TRC application and upload the supporting documents. If you need help deciding between a domestic TRC and a treaty TRC, see our guide to the Tax Residency Certificate in UAE. Corporate Tax registration: once logged in to EmaraTax with UAE PASS, have these documents ready as PDFs (maximum 15 MB per file):

• Trade licence
• Certificate of incorporation or memorandum of association
• Emirates ID and passport copies of the authorised signatory and any owner holding 25% or more

Registration is only the start. Every taxable person must then keep accounting records for 7 years and file annual returns. If your books are not ready for that, our accounting services in Dubai cover Corporate Tax records, VAT and IFRS reporting at fixed monthly fees.

• Forgot your PIN: tap Forgot PIN Code in the app, verify with your registered mobile number or biometrics, and set a new PIN.
• New phone: UAE PASS works on up to two devices. Reinstall the app, choose “I have an account”, verify your mobile number and email by OTP, and your profile is restored.
• Recover your account: use the UAE PASS web portal, the selfcare (self-care) portal on uaepass.ae, to recover access, update your mobile number or manage your profile.
• Face verification failing: try good lighting and remove glasses; if it still fails, visit a kiosk with your Emirates ID for fingerprint verification.
• No authentication prompt during EmaraTax login: update the UAE PASS app, check your internet connection, and make sure notifications are enabled. Repeated failed attempts can lock the login temporarily; wait and retry.
• Official support: call 600 56 1111 or email support@uaepass.ae. For EmaraTax-specific issues, use the support service cards inside the EmaraTax portal or the FTA’s channels on tax.gov.ae.

After logging in with UAE PASS, businesses can access EmaraTax for Corporate Tax registration, VAT registration, tax return filing, TRC applications, payments, refunds, and FTA account management. Credora Consultancy LLC is an FTA Registered Tax Agency in Dubai (TAAN 20056628). We assist companies with:

• Corporate Tax and VAT registration on EmaraTax, end to end.
• VAT return preparation and filing, and Corporate Tax returns.
• Tax Residency Certificate applications on the TRC portal.
• Accounting records that satisfy the 7-year Corporate Tax retention rule.
• FTA audit support and EmaraTax account issues.