Indian embassy shuts four passport centres in UAE as legal battle over outsourcing drags on

The Indian Embassy in the UAE has shut four of its consular application centres, reducing the number of operational locations from 16 to 12. The move follows a prolonged legal dispute over the outsourcing of passport services and an ongoing re-tendering process.

Four centres closed

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the embassy announced the closure of four Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) from Thursday, 22 October, citing administrative reasons. The affected centres are the Musaffah and Al Reem centres in Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Investment Park-I centre in Dubai, and the Sharjah Al Majaz centre in Sharjah.

The remaining 12 ICACs, all operated by Alhind Tours & Travels, continue to function normally. These include the large Bur Dubai facility with 45 counters, as well as centres at the Indian Association Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Kalba, Khor Fakkan, Al Danah, Al Ain, Madinat Zayed, and Ghayathi.

For urgent cases, the embassy confirmed that Tatkal passport services, newborn applications, Emergency Certificate requests, and applicants aged 60 and above will be accepted on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis at all ICACs. Operating hours are from 8am to 6pm, and applicants are allowed to enter only 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment time. Appointments can be booked through the official portal at consularsevainuae.com, with slots released at 9am and 9pm daily.

Background to the disruption

The disruption traces back to July. The previous service providers, BLS International (passport and visa) and SGIVS Global (attestation), ceased operations after their contracts ended. Kerala-based Alhind Tours & Travels was awarded the new contract after winning the tender with the lowest financial bid.

Alhind was originally scheduled to take over on 1 July, but the handover was delayed by a legal challenge in India’s Delhi High Court. Two unsuccessful bidders argued that the technical evaluation of their bids was not clear. Since 1 July, the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai have run passport, visa, and attestation services directly from their own premises — the first time in 17 years that consular services were not outsourced. Alhind eventually began operating its 16 centres from 22 July, following interim permission from India’s Supreme Court.

Re-tendering process

On 15 July, the Delhi High Court ruled that the outsourcing of consular services should go through a fresh retendering process. The court found that the technical evaluation of bids was arbitrary, opaque, and violated constitutional requirements, and it set aside the award of contracts for the Indian missions in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, and Canberra. Alhind began operating on a temporary basis from July.

Last month, the Indian embassy in the UAE issued a fresh tender for outsourcing its passport services in compliance with the Supreme Court order. The new Request for Proposal (RFP) invites companies to bid for operating Indian Consular Application Centres across the UAE. The deadline for submitting new bids is 26 October 2026 at 15:00 local time.

The outsourcing contract covers passport, visa, OCI, police clearance certificates, surrender certificates, Global Entry Programme verification, and related attestation support.

Passport fees and practical advice

The Indian government raised passport service charges across the UAE effective 1 July, marking the first fee increase since 2012. Under the new structure, a 36-page normal passport now costs Dh450 (up from Dh285), while a 36-page Tatkaal passport costs Dh900. A 60-page normal passport costs Dh630, and a 60-page Tatkaal passport costs Dh1,080. Lost or damaged passport replacements cost more: Dh900 for a 36-page normal replacement, rising to Dh1,530 for a 60-page Tatkaal replacement. Alhind also charges a Dh19 service fee on top of government fees, which covers ancillary services including form filling, photographs, typing, courier, printouts, and photocopies.

The re-tendering process remains ongoing, so the service provider arrangement could change again. Applicants are advised to monitor official channels for updates. To renew a passport, check the nearest centre on the embassy’s list of 12 operational ICACs, book an appointment online at consularsevainuae.com (slots are released at 9am and 9pm daily), carry all documents, and arrive only 15 minutes before the allotted slot. Delays are possible while the re-tendering process continues.