Indian ePassport in UAE: No biometrics or fee changes for Indian expats, confirm Embassy, Consulate

Dubai: Indian expats applying for the new ePassport in the UAE will not be required to provide biometric data at this stage, and passport fees will remain unchanged, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indian Consulate in Dubai confirmed on Thursday.

The clarifications came as the missions rolled out the ePassport system in the UAE on October 28 and top diplomats addressed key concerns from the Indian expat community about the application process.

Speaking at a press conference at the Indian Consulate in Dubai, A Amarnath, Chargé d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India in Dubai, highlighted that the transition to the new digital passport system would not result in any additional costs for applicants.

"There will be no additional charges for the applicants," confirmed Amarnath.

The ePassport, described as a "next generation travel document", combines traditional passport features with advanced technology, including an embedded chip containing digital copies of the holder's information.

While the ePassport chip is designed to store biometric information, officials clarified that some of this data will be captured from the applicants' photographs compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines, rather than through separate biometric collection at application centres for the time being.

"Some of the biometric information which is embedded in the chip will be captured from the photograph that the person submits," said Amarnath.

They stressed that submitting an ICAO-compliant photograph is mandatory for the application to proceed. "Unless you are able to submit an ICAO-compliant photograph, the application will not proceed to the next stage,” said Amarnath.

There was no timeframe announced for implementing a system of capturing the biometric data of the passport applicants at the outsourced service provider, BLS International.

"It depends on the decision of the Government of India to roll out the system in the missions here," said Sivan.

The new Global Passport Seva Portal 2.0 (GPSP 2.0) has introduced several features designed to streamline the passport application process.

For renewals where no information has changed, applicants need only enter their old passport reference number and complete verification with their registered email address.

"All the details will automatically be fetched in the application form," Amarnath said, estimating the entire process could take less than two minutes.

The Consul General noted that applicants can now complete much of the process from home. "The application can be made by the applicants themselves. The process has been simplified and wait time at the (BLS) centre will be considerably reduced ," he said.

For blue-collar workers and those less familiar with digital processes, he said applications can also be uploaded at outsourced service provider centres, other typing centres, or with help from community organisations or company HR departments.

In cases of minor corrections in passport applications, applicants will no longer need to retype entire applications at BLS centres, the missions clarified. Corrections can be made without any additional fees.

As reported earlier by Gulf News, Indian expats do not need to apply for the new ePassport until their existing passport expires or they need to update details in their passport, the diplomats confirmed.

All applications for new passports for newborn children and those for renewing the passports of other applicants from October 28 will now automatically be processed as ePassports through the new portal system, meaning Indian expats in the UAE will now only receive ePassports.

Applicants who have already filled out application forms on the previous portal and secured appointments before October 28 need not worry about refilling their information. Officials confirmed these applications will continue to be accepted and processed.

"If there are application forms which have already been filled by the applicants, we will continue to accept those applications, but those applicants will get the normal passport, not the ePassport," Amarnath clarified. He added that it is not mandatory for such applicants to refill their applications on the new GPSP 2.0 portal .

"If they have already done it, they can go ahead and submit these forms. The centres will accept the old forms in the old portal, but they will be issued normal passports."

However, applicants who wish to receive an ePassport instead have the option to refill their application on the new portal.

 The diplomats pointed out that the UAE is home to the largest number of Indian passport holders outside India. According to the Indian missions, more than 4.36 million Indians live in the UAE.

The Indian missions process one of the largest numbers of passport applications, with both missions combined issuing 1,600 passports daily.

"So, when we rolled out the ePassport in the UAE, we wanted to be extremely sure that the system is not going to create any problems for the community," said Sivan.