Desk research against primary sources. Figures are traced to the issuing UAE authority and linked on the page.
The clock only starts once biometrics are actually captured at the ICA centre or typing office — not from the date you submitted your paperwork or paid the fee. If your appointment slips, the 5–10 working day window slips with it, which is why a card that seems ‘late’ is often just being timed from the wrong reference point. Express is a separate track chosen at the point of application, not something you can switch to afterwards once the standard timeline looks too tight.
Delivery is physical, not digital — Emirates Post has to reach your registered address, so an address that is wrong or unmonitored is a common reason a card shows as dispatched but never arrives. The ICA app and SMS updates are the only reliable way to see where you are in the process; a typing office cannot look this up for you once biometrics are submitted. If status stalls beyond the standard window, that is the trigger to query it directly with ICA rather than assuming it is still moving.
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