Indian passport, visa services move to new UAE-wide system from today
Appointments open twice daily through dedicated online portal
DUBAI – Indian passport, visa and attestation services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be delivered through a new outsourcing system from today, July 22, after the Indian Embassy appointed Al Hind Tours & Travels as its service provider.
The move marks a major change for millions of Indian expatriates who require routine consular services across the Emirates.
From now on, applicants will be served through a network of 16 Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs), replacing in-person processing at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai.
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— India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) July 21, 2026
Passport, Visa & Attestation services in the UAE w.e.f. 22 July 2026 have been outsourced to Al Hind Tours & Travels, delivered through 16 Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs).
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Booking process
According to the Indian Embassy, appointments must be booked online through the Consular Seva in UAE portal. Fresh appointment slots will be released twice daily at 9am and 9pm.
All 16 ICACs will operate from 8am to 6pm, with visitors permitted to enter only 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment.
The embassy also confirmed that applicants seeking Tatkal passport services, passports for newborns, Emergency Certificates (ECs) and senior citizens aged 60 years and above can visit the centres without an appointment. These applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Service fees
Al Hind will charge a service fee of Dh19, inclusive of VAT, in addition to the Government of India fee applicable to each service.
The service charge covers a range of ancillary facilities, including application form filling, photography, document typing, domestic courier services, printouts and photocopies. A detailed fee schedule has been published on the Consular Seva in UAE portal.
Legal battle
The rollout follows months of uncertainty surrounding the outsourcing of Indian consular services in the UAE.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of External Affairs awarded the contract to Al Hind Tours & Travels after debarring previous service provider BLS International Service Ltd from bidding for new Indian Mission contracts for two years. An October 2025 order cited allegations that included court cases and complaints from applicants.
Al Hind established 16 offices across the UAE in preparation for the transition. However, operations could not begin after unsuccessful bidders challenged the tender process in court, arguing that the technical evaluation used to award contracts in the UAE and Saudi Arabia lacked transparency and was arbitrary.
On July 15, the Delhi High Court quashed the Ministry's technical evaluation process and directed fresh tenders to be issued within a month.
The Centre challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court, arguing that restarting the tender process would disrupt essential consular services at overseas missions. On July 21, the apex court declined to interfere with the High Court's order but allowed the Ministry to temporarily engage existing contractors, including Al Hind in the UAE, until a fresh procurement process is completed.
Transition period
Because of the prolonged legal dispute, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai had temporarily resumed handling passport, visa and attestation services directly through an appointment-only system.
During that period, many Indian residents reported difficulty securing passport renewal appointments, with some describing prolonged uncertainty ahead of planned summer travel.
Following the Supreme Court's interim order, the Indian Embassy confirmed that Al Hind would begin providing passport, visa and attestation services through the 16 ICACs from July 22. However, the latest announcement does not specify whether the arrangement is temporary or will continue after the fresh tender process is completed.