Nationality rules differ enormously between countries, and this is not a page that can tell you whether you qualify. Some countries pass citizenship down indefinitely; others stop at one generation born abroad, require registration before a deadline, or do not permit dual nationality at all. What follows is how to find out for the UAE, and what to settle before you spend anything.
Quick facts
The UAE has four consular offices in the United States, in Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. With more than one, the office that matters is the one whose district covers your state of residence — and that is not always the nearest.
Emirati consular offices in the United States
Applications and enquiries go through the office whose district covers your state, though the decision itself is taken in the UAE:
The questions that decide your case
- How far down does descent run? Through a parent is common; through a grandparent is much rarer; through a great-grandparent is unusual anywhere.
- Is there a deadline? Several countries require a child born abroad to be registered within a set period, after which the claim is lost.
- Does the UAE permit dual nationality? Not for Emiratis going the other way. Article 15(c) forfeits UAE nationality for anyone who voluntarily naturalises with a foreign nationality. The 2021 reform opened dual nationality to incoming investors and talents; it did nothing for an Emirati taking the U.S. oath.
- Does the line pass through either parent? Some nationality laws were paternal for decades and were reformed later, sometimes with retroactive effect.
- What obligations come with it? Military service and tax residence attach to nationality in some countries regardless of where you live.
Documents a claim by descent normally rests on
- Birth certificates establishing the unbroken line, each certified for use abroad.
- Marriage certificates covering every change of surname in that line.
- The ancestor’s Emirati passport, identity card or other proof of nationality.
- Evidence of whether and when an ancestor naturalised elsewhere, which in some countries breaks the line.
- Translations into Arabic where required.
Before spending money on this
Ask the consular office what Emirati law actually allows in your circumstances before engaging anyone to help with it. Genealogists and specialist firms exist and can be useful where records are old or scattered, but they are not a substitute for knowing whether the claim exists at all — and that answer is free.
If your own immigration position in the United States is unresolved, take advice from an immigration lawyer before approaching any foreign authority.
The UAE is the strict one of this group
Article 15(c) of Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 on Nationality and Passports provides that UAE nationality lapses for anyone who voluntarily naturalises with the nationality of a foreign State. Article 20(2) adds that forfeiture takes effect by federal decree and cannot be appealed.
The 2021 reform is widely misread. It added article 9 bis, which lets investors, entrepreneurs, specialised professionals and people of talent acquire UAE nationality while keeping their original one. That is about people coming in. It created no route for an Emirati to keep UAE nationality while naturalising abroad, and the only permission wording anywhere in article 15 concerns foreign military service, not nationality.
Two routes back exist. Article 17: a national by law who acquired a foreign nationality may recover the original one if he relinquishes what he acquired. Article 18: the minor children of a person who lost nationality may apply to recover UAE nationality on reaching majority — so children are not permanently foreclosed.
Where nationality was held by naturalisation or by dependency rather than by law, article 16 adds a discretionary withdrawal power — including for exercising citizenship rights in another country — and that withdrawal may be extended to a wife and minor children.
Checked on 7 October 2026 against the consolidated Arabic text published by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, last updated 20 September 2021.
Office names, addresses and telephone numbers on this page come from our directory, and the count above is taken from the same records as the listing. Procedural rules come from the authority itself — always confirm with the office that covers you. Apostille status checked against the HCCH official status table on 2026-10-05.