India opens passport centres in UAE

India is opening additional passport service centres in the United Arab Emirates as officials try to ease delays and lower costs for one of the country’s largest expatriate populations. The move follows a July transition in outsourced consular services that Indian officials said had created disruption for passport, visa and attestation applicants in the UAE. Dubai’s consul general, E. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, said the new centres should make access easier and help speed urgent passport processing. No opening date has been announced. ### Why are Indian passport services in the UAE changing now? The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi said on June 19 that Al Hind Tours and Travel LLC would take over outsourced passport, visa and attestation services in the UAE from July 1. The embassy said the previous providers, BLS International and SGIVS Global, would stop accepting new applications after June 25, and that emergency services would be handled directly by the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai during the transition. Dubai Consul General E. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said this week that the handover had involved “teething problems” after Alhind took over operations, according to Gulf News. He said the consulate was working to clear pending urgent cases and restore contracted turnaround times. (indembassyuae.gov.in) ### What exactly are the new centres supposed to do? The National reported on August 5 that Indian officials plan to open new passport centres in the UAE to save applicants money and time. Reddy told the newspaper the new facilities would bring a “positive change” for Indian residents seeking passport services, particularly workers who now travel long distances or rely on costlier third-party help, according to the report. (gulfnews.com) The embassy’s website already says outsourced consular services are operating in the UAE, and Gulf News reported that Alhind is currently running 16 Indian Consular Application Centres across the country as an interim provider for at least three months. The expansion described by officials appears aimed at widening that footprint and reducing pressure on existing counters. (thenationalnews.com) ### What happens to urgent Tatkal passport applications? Reddy said urgent Tatkal passport issuance should be brought down to within three days, according to The National and Gulf News. Gulf News reported that Tatkal applications are currently taking up to three days, compared with the same-day processing the Dubai consulate had previously offered for some applications filed before noon. (indembassyuae.gov.in) Gulf News said the consul general also told reporters that the consulate would keep same-day processing for the most urgent cases where applicants can show a genuine emergency. Walk-in access remains available for Tatkal cases, newborn applications and emergency certificates, the newspaper reported. (thenationalnews.com) ### What has happened to passport fees? The revised fee structure introduced in July raised passport charges in the UAE, according to Gulf News. A normal 36-page adult passport now costs Dh450, up from Dh285, while a 60-page passport costs Dh630, up from Dh380, the newspaper reported. Under Tatkal, the price rose to Dh900 for a 36-page passport and Dh1,080 for a 60-page passport. (gulfnews.com) The Indian consulate’s passport guidance page still lists the older fee schedule, including an additional Dh570 for Tatkal service on top of the standard passport charge, showing that official public-facing information has been in transition alongside the provider change. ### Where should applicants look for the next update? (gulfnews.com) The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi said applicants should follow official embassy and consulate communication channels for further updates on appointments and outsourced services. The embassy’s website says 6,012 passports were issued in July 2026, underscoring the scale of demand during the first month after the handover. (cgidubai.gov.in) No date has been set for the new centres to open. The next concrete update is likely to come from the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi, the Consulate General of India in Dubai, or the outsourced provider’s appointment system, which officials said would carry rollout details. (indembassyuae.gov.in)