Indian expats in UAE demand permanent fix to passport crisis, fee rollback

Dubai: Indian community groups in the UAE have called for a permanent solution to the ongoing difficulties faced by Indian expats in accessing passport and attestation services, along with the recent hike in passport fees.

Their demands come amid uncertainty over the future of passport and attestation services in the UAE and the recent increase in passport service fees announced by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The 4.5-million-strong Indian expat community in the UAE has faced sudden changes in accessing various consular services, especially passport and attestation services, ever since the transition from the old service providers began on June 26.

After the Indian missions decided to hand over their new contract to run unified Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) to Alhind Tours and Travels Ltd, ending the services of previous providers BLS International (passport services) and SGIVS Global Services (attestation services) ahead of their contract expiry on June 30, expats were left with only emergency services through the missions.

Since the new contract got mired in legal controversy following petitions filed by rival bidders over their disqualification and Alhind could not open its 16 ICACs as planned on July 1, thousands of applicants had to head to the missions directly, 17 years after services were first outsourced.

Despite several sudden announcements and changes in rules related to consular services, the missions have streamlined services over the past two weeks.

Services are being provided without any of the additional fees previously charged by the outsourced service providers, and amenities such as tents and refreshments have been arranged, along with an increased number of counters, with the support of community volunteers. The missions are also providing consular attestation services through community groups such as Indian Association Sharjah on weekends.

However, many expats are still struggling to secure online appointments, especially in Dubai, where the Indian Consulate, which handles the highest number of Indian passport applications outside India, has stopped walk-ins.

With the Delhi High Court quashing the contract awarded to Alhind and ordering a fresh tender within one month, while noting that incumbent service providers may be permitted to continue in the interim, the uncertainty over the future of consular services has deepened, and expats are awaiting the missions' next move.

The court's order on Wednesday, July 15, was not limited to the UAE alone. It also directed fresh tenders for consular services at India's missions in Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra, and left it open to the Indian authorities to decide whether BLS International and SGIVS Global Services would return in the UAE, or whether the missions would continue running services directly, as they have done since July 2.

Though the missions accepted applications as usual on Thursday, neither the missions here nor the MEA had issued a statement on the matter as of 2.30pm.

Community groups have raised the matter along with their concerns about the steep hike in passport fees that accompanied the administrative changes to services.

Dubai KMCC's Kasaragod District Committee highlighted persistent issues faced by the community regarding passport services, including delays in obtaining appointments and long waiting periods for passport issuance, all of which affect travel plans, employment, education and family-related needs.

While acknowledging the efforts of the Indian Embassy and the Consulate in addressing expats' concerns, the group stressed the need for more efficient systems and expanded service facilities to meet growing demand, especially during the summer months when many expats travel.

It called for urgent measures to reduce appointment delays, expedite passport delivery, and ensure faster, more transparent and user-friendly passport and consular services for the millions of Indian expats. The demand was raised by district president Salam Kanyappadi, general secretary Haneef T.R., treasurer Dr Ismail, and other committee members in a statement.

The group also urged the authorities to withdraw the recent increase in passport fees, stating that it has imposed an additional financial burden on ordinary expatriates.

The regular passport renewal fee, the most commonly used service, has risen from Dh285 to Dh450, a jump of nearly 60 per cent, in the first major revision of India's passport fee structure since 2012.

As first reported by Gulf News, individual community volunteers had urged the ministry to offer concessional rates for blue-collar and low-income workers along with faster, more accessible services.

Now, many community groups have also urged the government to either revoke or revise the steep hike in passport fees.

Dr S.V. Reddy, president, Telugu Rasamayi UAE, said the group had already sent an appeal to the Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, regarding the steep hike in passport fees.

"The Indian diaspora has always remained deeply connected to the motherland and continues to make significant contributions to India's economy through remittances, investments, business partnerships, and cultural promotion worldwide. While we understand the need for periodic revisions in government service charges, a substantial increase in passport fees may place an additional financial burden on many families, students, workers, and lower-income expatriates," the letter stated.

The group urged the ministry to roll back or reconsider the increase in passport fees, hold wider consultations with representatives of the Indian diaspora before implementing such changes, consider special provisions or phased implementation for economically vulnerable expats, and strengthen engagement with Indian community organisations abroad.

Reddy said several community members had expressed concerns about the service fees levied by the previous service providers for passport services. "We hope that issue will be solved when the missions assign a new service provider. Meanwhile, many people still struggle to get appointments as the services are now limited to the two missions with limited slots. We hope the authorities find a solution to this crisis at the earliest," he added.

The missions earlier told Gulf News they are together processing over 1,500 applications daily. That figure used to be over 1,700, according to 2022–2024 statistics released during the tendering process.

Meanwhile, Paul T. Joseph, president of the AKCAF Association, said the community group, comprising alumni members of around 100 colleges in Kerala living in the UAE, has collected over 1,200 signatures from its members to draw authorities' attention to the ongoing issues related to passport services and fees.

"We are preparing a mass petition about the difficulties the Indian diaspora has been facing in the UAE due to the recent changes in the consular services agency for passport and attestation services."

He said the group is also seeking a revision in the recent increase in the cost of issuing new passports.

"It is a big burden to common people. We have always faced a huge increase in airfare during the summer holidays, when the majority of us travel home and many renew their passports. The passport fee hike has come as another jolt for expats, especially blue-collar workers," said Paul.