India hikes passport fees by up to 75% from July 1; Indian expats in UAE will pay more too

Dubai: India is raising passport fees by up to 75 per cent starting July 1, according to a gazette notification issued by the country's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on June 20 under the Passports (Amendment) Rules.

According to MEA sources, the fee hike would be applicable to passport applicants in the UAE and across the world.

However, the Indian missions in the UAE are yet to announce the new fee structure for applicants here. Sources told Gulf News that the updated rates would be announced within days.

According to the Indian Ambassador to the UAE Dr Deepak Mittal, the UAE is now home to 4.5 million Indians, making it one of the largest Indian diaspora communities in the world.

The Indian Embassy and the Indian Consulate in Dubai together handle a substantial volume of consular work.

Over 1.58 million services and transactions were processed in the three years from January 2022 to December 2024, equivalent to around 1,760 transactions every working day. In 2024 alone, around 561,000 consular services were provided, of which over 364,000 were passport-related.

The revision marks the first significant fee hike in several years, multiple Indian media outlets reported.

Under the new rates, a normal fresh or reissued 36-page passport for adults will cost Rs 2,500, up from Rs 1,500, a rise of 67 per cent.

A 60-page passport under normal processing will go up to Rs 3,500 from Rs 2,000, a hike of 75 per cent.

For those applying under the Tatkal scheme, a 36-page passport will cost Rs 5,000, while a 60-page Tatkal passport will be priced at Rs 6,000.

The fee revision is steepest for those seeking a replacement for a lost or damaged passport. A 36-page replacement will now cost Rs 5,000 under normal processing and Rs 7,500 under Tatkal.

For miscellaneous services such as police clearance certificates and surrender certificates, the fee has been set at Rs 750 inside India.

Emergency certificates and certificates of identity issued abroad will cost USD 15 and USD 50 respectively.

In the UAE, a standard 36-page adult passport renewal or fresh application costs Dh285, while a 60-page (jumbo) passport is Dh380.

Under the Tatkal scheme, those fees rise to Dh855 and Dh950 respectively.

An Indian Welfare Fund (ICWF) charge of Dh8.05 and a service provider fee of Dh9.45 are added on top, bringing the total for a standard 36-page adult passport renewal to Dh302.50.

The announcement of the passport fee hike comes at a particularly significant moment for Indians in the UAE, as the country's consular services are undergoing a major transition.

Alhind Tours and Travels LLC will formally take over the processing of passport, visa and attestation applications from July 1, 2026, replacing existing providers BLS International and SGIVS Global (popularly known as IVS).

As reported by Gulf News, the new service centres will operate under the name Indian Consular Application Centre, or ICAC, a branding used by Indian missions globally.

Unlike the current arrangement, where applicants had to approach two separate providers for different services, the new ICACs will bring everything under one roof, covering passport renewals, fresh passport applications, visa applications, OCI card applications, police clearance certificates, surrender certificates and document attestation, among other services.

Alhind, which submitted the lowest financial bid of Dh19 per transaction during the competitive tender process conducted by the Indian Embassy, has quoted an all-inclusive fee of Dh19 per transaction, which the company says covers all services.

The contract also mandates that appointment slots be made available within five working days of an application being submitted, with each application processed within 30 minutes at the centre.

However, a detailed breakdown of exactly which services fall under this Dh19 charge and how it will interact with the revised passport fees has not yet been released by Alhind or the Indian missions in the UAE.

According to the Embassy both BLS and SGIVS were required to stop accepting new appointments after the close of business today, Thursday, June 25.

A five-day suspension of routine services will follow from June 26 to June 30, during which no new regular appointments can be booked through either provider.

Emergency passport, visa and attestation services will continue to be available through the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai throughout the transition period. For urgent help, applicants can reach the Indian missions via the toll-free number 800 46342 (800 INDIA), WhatsApp on +971 54 309 0571, or by email at pbsk.dubai@mea.gov.in.

With both a change in service provider and a hike in passport fees taking effect on the same date, July 1 marks one of the most consequential days for Indian consular services in the UAE in recent memory.