Indian passport services in UAE: 150 daily walk-ins for Indian expats at one Alhind ICAC

Dubai: More than a month after Alhind Tours and Travels LLC took over Indian passport, visa and attestation services across the UAE, Indian expats are seeing a new phase in the transition, with the backlog said to have been cleared, appointment processes being streamlined and wider walk-in access introduced.

At one Indian Consular Application Centre (ICAC) operated by Alhind, up to 150 eligible walk-in applicants are now being accommodated each day, Gulf News can reveal.

One of the largest specific walk-in capacities is at Alhind's Bur Dubai ICAC, where up to 150 eligible walk-in applicants can be accommodated daily.

The centre is located at UW Mall in Al Mankhool. The capacity is subject to the centre's available slots and is not a guarantee that every applicant arriving without an appointment will be served.

The arrangement is intended to provide an additional option for applicants in the five eligible categories, while the missions continue to encourage advance online bookings.

One month, 53,000 services

The expanded walk-in access is among the latest changes introduced after Alhind took over operations of 16 ICACs across the UAE.

Figures shared exclusively with Gulf News by the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi show the scale of demand handled by the new service provider during its first month.

Between July 22 and August 22, the 16 ICACs processed more than 53,000 services. This included around 44,000 passport services, 8,000 attestation services and 1,000 visa services.

Five categories can walk in

The Indian Embassy and the Indian Consulate in Dubai have also expanded access for applicants who may need faster or more convenient service at ICACs.

On August 16, the Indian Embassy announced that applicants in five categories could visit any of the 16 ICACs without a prior appointment, between 9am and 1pm, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The walk-in facility applies only to passport services, not attestation services.

The five eligible categories are:

• Tatkal passport applicants

• Newborns

• Emergency certificate applicants

• Senior citizens aged 60 and above

• People of determination

Applicants are still encouraged to book an appointment online where possible. Walk-in applicants are accommodated according to the availability of slots at each centre on the day, while those with confirmed appointments retain their scheduled times.

Rocky start

Alhind's rollout did not begin smoothly. Legal challenges to the original tender delayed the company's planned July 1 launch, leaving the Indian Embassy and Consulate to operate the services directly for three weeks.

Alhind's ICACs eventually opened on July 22, after India's Supreme Court order allowed the Indian government to proceed with the new arrangement.

The delayed launch contributed to a rush of pending applications once the centres opened, with queues and longer processing times prompting complaints from applicants during the early weeks.

‘Backlog cleared’

The situation had improved significantly by India's 80th Independence Day on August 15.

Consul General of India in Dubai, Dr E Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, told Gulf News that all applications submitted up to the preceding Saturday had been processed.

Normal passports are now being issued within five working days, while Tatkal — the government's fast-track passport service — is being dispatched within three days.

The clearance of the backlog marks a significant shift for the new ICAC network, which had struggled to keep pace with demand during its first weeks of operation.

Appointments now the focus

With the backlog cleared, the Indian missions' focus has shifted to improving the appointment and booking process, particularly for passport applicants who faced difficulties securing slots during the transition.

Appointment slots at the 16 ICACs are released twice a day, at 9am and 9pm, through the online booking portal https://consularsevainuae.com/.

Applicants who secure appointments in advance are attended to at their scheduled time.

With an estimated 4.5 million Indians living in the UAE, the Indian missions in the country handle one of the largest volumes of Indian passport applications outside India.

Alhind has continued to operate the UAE's ICACs since July 22 as the interim service provider, reported to be for at least three months, while the government works through the fresh tendering process the court has directed.