New passport service rules announced for Indian expats in UAE as Alhind takeover delayed

Abu Dhabi: The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday announced new consular service rules for Indian expats in the UAE.

In a press release on Wednesday, Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said that due to administrative reasons, both the Embassy and the Indian Consulate in Dubai will start providing consular services — covering passport, visa, attestation and miscellaneous services — in a limited manner from their own premises from tomorrow, July 2.

This comes after the missions extended the suspension of regular Indian passport and visa appointments in the UAE by an extra day, having earlier said that services would resume from July 1 once outsourcing partner Alhind Tours and Travel LLC took over from BLS International and SGIVS Global.

According to the new arrangement, services will be provided only on a walk-in basis, following the first-come-first-served principle. Walk-in timings at both the Embassy and the Consulate will be from 9am to 12.30pm.

“To avail the services, all the applicants have to visit the Embassy or the Consulate in person along with completely filled in application form and requisite documents,” the mission stated.

Applications can be submitted at the Embassy and the Consulate only after payment of the requisite fees.

To avoid crowding at the premises, only the applicant will be allowed inside, except in cases where the presence of parents is mandatory for minor applicants.

The missions have clarified that fees will be accepted only in cash at present, and applicants have been advised to carry the exact change according to the service they require.

The Embassy also noted that the service fee for passport-related services has been revised, with the new fee structure effective since July 1, 2026.

The new rates 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 mission had announced on Tuesday.

The Embassy said the coordinates to reach out to the missions remain the same as before:

During the previously scheduled transition period between the service providers from June 26 to June 30, the missions were offering emergency consular services via these channels. The same was extended for one more day later.

As first reported by Gulf News on Tuesday, 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 shut their doors to applicants, following instructions from the missions due to the previously scheduled transition to the new single-provider model.

The Embassy has stressed that the new arrangement that is coming into effect from July 2 is temporary, and further updates regarding the migration to the new service provider, Alhind Tours and Travel LLC, will be communicated in due course.

All applicants have been advised to rely only on official communication channels and the social media handles of the Embassy of India and the Consulate General of India for further updates, rather than unverified sources, while the transition to the new service provider is completed.