New passport fees announced for Indian expats in UAE from July 1

Abu Dhabi/ Dubai: The Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi, and the Consulate General of India, Dubai, have officially announced the revised fee structure for passport and related services, effective July 1, 2026.

The new rates announced on Tuesday will apply uniformly across the Embassy, the Consulate and the upcoming Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) run by the outsourced service provider in the UAE.

The revision follows a gazette notification issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on June 20 under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, raising passport fees by as much as 75 per cent worldwide, including for the estimated 4.5 million Indians living in the UAE. In the UAE, the fees have gone nearly 70 per cent up.

According to the newly released fee chart, a normal fresh or reissued 36-page passport for adults will now cost Dh450, up from Dh285 earlier, while a 60-page passport will cost Dh630, up from Dh380. Under Tatkal (urgent) processing, these fees rise sharply to Dh900 and Dh1,080 respectively (from Dh855 and Dh950 respectively).

Steep increases apply to those replacing a lost or damaged passport also. A 36-page replacement will now cost Dh900 under normal processing and Dh1,350 under Tatkal, while a 60-page replacement will cost Dh1,080 normally and Dh1,530 under Tatkal.

The fees for passport and passport-related services were last revised in 2012.

Relief for minors

Minors below 18 years will continue to pay lower rates. A fresh or reissued 36-page passport for a minor will cost Dh325 under normal processing and Dh775 under Tatkal, while a replacement for a lost or damaged passport will cost Dh775 and Dh1,225 respectively.

Children up to the age of 8 years applying for a fresh passport get a 10 per cent discount, bringing the normal fee down to Dh295 and the Tatkal fee to Dh700. This discount does not apply to reissues.

Special documents, services

For those needing special travel documents, an Emergency Certificate will cost Dh60, while a Certificate of Identity will cost Dh180. Neither is available under Tatkal processing.

Miscellaneous services, including a Police Clearance Certificate, a Surrender Certificate, Global Entry Program verification and other certificates based on the passport, will be charged at Dh145 each.

Additional fees

The missions have clarified that the applicable service fee of the outsourced service provider, along with Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) charges, will be levied additionally wherever applicable, meaning the final amount applicants pay at the counter could be higher than the listed fee.

Currently, the mandatory welfare charge (ICWF fee) is Dh8.05 and it applies on top of the base passport fee and the application centre's service charges.

Passports issued to adults will continue to carry a validity of up to ten years, while those issued to minors will remain valid for five years or until the applicant turns 18, whichever comes first.

Emergency services on July 1

Only July 1, the Embassy and the Consulate are providing emergency consular services through the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK), a community welfare centre aiding distressed Indian nationals in need.

Those needing urgent help during this period can reach the missions through the toll-free number 800 46342 (800 INDIA), on WhatsApp at +971 54 309 0571, or by email at pbsk.dubai@mea.gov.in.

This follows the mission extending the suspension of regular passport, visa and attestation services through the current service providers BLS International and SGIVS for one more day, extending what was originally meant to be a five-day pause to six days.

BLS, IVS shut for applicants

The suspension of regular consular services from June 26 to June 30 was announced to facilitate the transition of the services to the unified Indian Consular Application Centres (ICAC) that will be operated by the new service provider Alhind Tours and Travels LLC.

As part of the handover, BLS and SGIVS were told to stop accepting new appointments after close of business on June 25, with regular services unavailable from June 26 to June 30.

Gulf News can confirm that two SGIVS centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and 16 BLS branches, including 14 regular centres across the UAE as well as its premium lounges in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, have now shut their doors to applicants, following instructions from the missions due to the transition to the new single-provider model.

What happens from July 2 is, as yet, unannounced. The embassy said details about services from July 2 onwards will be "communicated in due course," and urged the public to monitor official social media channels for updates.

The UAE is now home to about 4.5 million Indians, one of the largest Indian diaspora communities anywhere.

The missions here handle a substantial volume of consular work, having processed over 1.58 million services and transactions between January 2022 and December 2024, equivalent to roughly 1,760 transactions every working day, including more than 364,000 passport-related services in 2024 alone.