India’s missions in the United Arab Emirates have confirmed that Alhind Tours & Travels LLC will replace BLS International and SGIVS Global as the sole outsourced service provider for Indian passport, visa and other consular applications from 1 July 2026. The announcement, published late on 12 June, affects an estimated 3.5 million Indian residents as well as UAE-based foreigners applying for Indian visas.
![Alhind Wins Contract to Run Indian Passport, Visa & OCI Centres Across the UAE]()
For applicants who prefer end-to-end online assistance, VisaHQ’s digital platform can streamline the paperwork and double-check shifting requirements; the India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) already reflects the upcoming UAE centre addresses and will automatically route forms and appointment bookings to Alhind once the switch goes live.
Alhind says it will launch 16 customer-service centres across all seven emirates—its largest, in Bur Dubai, will host 45 counters and a token-less queueing system. Service fees are capped at AED 19 (about ₹430) plus government charges, a reduction from the AED 28 many applicants currently pay. Over 400 new staff have been hired and trained on India’s IVFRT (Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration & Tracking) interface to minimise teething problems. For Indian employers rotating staff through the Gulf, the switch means new submission addresses, revised check-lists and fresh appointment portals. Mobility managers should instruct travellers to finish any in-process work with BLS/SGIVS before 30 June; applications lodged after that date will be rejected and must be re-filed with Alhind. The UAE remains India’s top expatriate destination and a pivotal stop-over hub. A smoother, cheaper outsourcing model could shorten document-turnaround times—critical for oil-and-gas shutdown crews and IT engineers on tight project schedules. Still, companies should expect brief teething delays in July as biometric kits and courier routes bed in.
For applicants who prefer end-to-end online assistance, VisaHQ’s digital platform can streamline the paperwork and double-check shifting requirements; the India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) already reflects the upcoming UAE centre addresses and will automatically route forms and appointment bookings to Alhind once the switch goes live.
Alhind says it will launch 16 customer-service centres across all seven emirates—its largest, in Bur Dubai, will host 45 counters and a token-less queueing system. Service fees are capped at AED 19 (about ₹430) plus government charges, a reduction from the AED 28 many applicants currently pay. Over 400 new staff have been hired and trained on India’s IVFRT (Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration & Tracking) interface to minimise teething problems. For Indian employers rotating staff through the Gulf, the switch means new submission addresses, revised check-lists and fresh appointment portals. Mobility managers should instruct travellers to finish any in-process work with BLS/SGIVS before 30 June; applications lodged after that date will be rejected and must be re-filed with Alhind. The UAE remains India’s top expatriate destination and a pivotal stop-over hub. A smoother, cheaper outsourcing model could shorten document-turnaround times—critical for oil-and-gas shutdown crews and IT engineers on tight project schedules. Still, companies should expect brief teething delays in July as biometric kits and courier routes bed in.
