New Indian passport centres open across UAE as thousands queue on first day

New Indian passport centres open across UAE as thousands queue on first day

Thousands of Indian nationals queued outside newly opened Indian Consular Application Centres across the UAE on Wednesday as the country launched its biggest overhaul of passport and consular services. The first day saw long lines, busy counters and a new system designed to streamline applications for the UAE's approximately 4.39 million Indian residents, the largest expatriate community in the country.

The network of 16 centres, operated by Alhind Tours & Travels, replaces in-person passport, visa, attestation and consular services previously offered at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai. From early morning, applicants arrived with documents in hand to complete passport renewals, visa applications and other procedures under the new arrangement.

New operator takes over services

Alhind Tours & Travels, a company founded in Kerala in 1992 and operating in the UAE since 1995, won the contract to run the centres. Primarily known as a travel and ticketing company, Alhind competed against three other firms at the financial bid stage: DU Digital Global, SGIVS Global and VFS Global. Financial bids were opened on March 30, and results were announced on April 20.

The centres handle all major consular services including passport applications, visa requests, Overseas Citizen of India applications and document attestations. OCI cards provide lifelong multiple-entry visas for foreign nationals of Indian origin, offering benefits such as exemption from police reporting and parity with Non-Resident Indians in economic and educational fields, though they do not grant full Indian citizenship.

Capacity and processing times

The flagship centre in Bur Dubai features 70 counters and can process around 600 applicants daily. Once fully operational, the entire network aims to handle up to 8,000 applications per day with approximately 350 employees. Officials indicated that applications can be completed in roughly 30 minutes if all required documents are ready, though full passport processing typically takes 1-2 working days for standard reissue cases where prior police verification is not required.

Appointments are released twice daily at 9am and 9pm through an online booking portal. Walk-in services without prior appointments are available for specific categories including Tatkal passport applicants, newborn passport cases, emergency certificates and senior citizens aged 60 and above. The Dh19 service fee covers form-filling assistance, photographs, photocopying, printing and other support services.

Legal hurdles cleared

The rollout proceeded after India's Supreme Court on July 20 dismissed the Centre's challenge to a Delhi High Court verdict that had quashed the tender process for outsourcing consular services at four Indian missions including Abu Dhabi. The court allowed temporary arrangements to ensure uninterrupted services while a fresh tender process is completed.

During a brief period of legal uncertainty in July, the Indian Embassy and Consulate General operated limited walk-in consular services directly for the first time in over 15 years, processing more than 2,000 applications over two days. The previous service providers were BLS International Services Ltd and SGIVS Global. BLS International was debarred by India's Ministry of External Affairs from participating in future tenders for two years in 2026.

Growing demand drives expansion

The Indian population in the UAE has doubled over the past decade, growing from approximately 2.2 million in 2014 to 4.36 million by December 2024, according to the Indian Consulate in Dubai. This demographic surge has driven demand for expanded consular infrastructure capable of handling the community's needs efficiently.

All 16 centres operate daily from 8am to 6pm and are located across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Applicants can no longer submit passport applications directly at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General in Dubai, with all services now channeled through the new centre network.