First look: Inside new Indian passport centres in UAE as rush begins
Alhind-run centres handle surge in renewals, visas and attestations
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Thousands of Indian nationals queued outside newly opened Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) across the UAE on Wednesday as the country’s biggest overhaul of Indian passport and consular services began. The first day saw long queues, busy counters and a new system introduced to streamline passport, visa and attestation services.
The new network of 16 ICACs, operated by Alhind Tours & Travels, replaces the in-person passport, visa, attestation and consular application services previously offered at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai. From early morning, applicants arrived with documents in hand, eager to complete passport renewals, visa applications and other consular procedures under the new system.
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CROWDS GATHER BEFORE OPENING: Applicants queue outside an ICAC on its first day of operations. The new network of 16 centres officially began services across the UAE on July 22.
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EARLY ARRIVALS: Many applicants reached the centres before opening hours to complete passport and consular applications. The centres operate daily from 8am to 6pm.
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WAITING FOR THEIR TURN: Visitors wait patiently with documents in hand. Passport, visa, OCI, attestation and other consular services are now available through the new ICAC network.
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FIRST-DAY DEMAND: Long queues reflected strong demand for the new service. Applicants can no longer submit passport applications directly at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General in Dubai.
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NEW SYSTEM BEGINS: Applicants enter the centre as the new outsourcing arrangement officially takes effect. The services are now operated by Alhind Tours & Travels.
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DOCUMENT VERIFICATION: Staff check application documents before submission. Appointment slots are released every day at 9am and 9pm through the online booking portal.
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BUSY SERVICE COUNTERS: Officials assist applicants with passport and consular applications. The Bur Dubai flagship centre has 70 counters and can process around 600 applicants a day.
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ONE-STOP CONSULAR SERVICES: Applicants complete multiple services under one roof. The centres handle passports, visas, attestations, OCI applications and other consular requests.
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ASSISTANCE FOR APPLICANTS: Staff help visitors with forms and supporting documents. The Dh19 service fee includes form-filling, photographs, photocopying, printing and other support services.
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FASTER APPLICATION PROCESS: Applicants move through the submission process at the new centre. Officials say applications can be completed in around 30 minutes if all required documents are ready.
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DIGITAL APPOINTMENTS: Visitors arrive according to their booked time slots. Appointments are available through the new online portal, with fresh slots released twice daily.
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WALK-IN APPLICANTS: Some applicants qualify for walk-in services without prior appointments. These include Tatkal passport applicants, newborn passport cases, emergency certificates and senior citizens aged 60 and above.
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SERVING THE INDIAN COMMUNITY: Applicants from across the Emirates visit the new centres on launch day. The 16 ICACs are located across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
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EXPANDED PROCESSING CAPACITY: The new centres are designed to handle growing demand for Indian consular services. Once fully operational, the network can process up to 8,000 applications a day with around 350 employees.
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A NEW CHAPTER FOR CONSULAR SERVICES: The busy opening day follows weeks of legal uncertainty. The rollout was cleared after India's Supreme Court allowed the new outsourcing arrangement to proceed while the tender case continues.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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