The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi has confirmed that Al Hind Tours & Travels LLC will take over the entire portfolio of outsourced passport, visa and consular services across the United Arab Emirates from 1 July 2026. Current vendors—BLS International Services and SGIVS Global—will wind down operations by 30 June, after which all walk-in and courier applications must be lodged with the new provider’s ‘India Visa Centre’ network in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. For the 3.5 million-strong Indian diaspora, the change is more than cosmetic. Al Hind says it will introduce biometric capture booths, appointment scheduling via WhatsApp and a 48-hour courier return option, promising to shorten average passport-renewal time to seven working days.
![India switches visa & passport outsourcing partner in UAE from 1 July]()
Meanwhile, applicants seeking an end-to-end digital solution can rely on VisaHQ’s dedicated India page (https://www.visahq.com/india/), which offers document checking, courier pickup and real-time tracking for passports and visas; the service provides a practical fallback for individuals and HR teams adjusting to the new UAE submission rules.
Crucially for businesses, the company will pilot an ‘Executive Desk’ that batches up to 50 passports from a single corporate client—useful for offshore crews and project teams rotating into India on short notice. Employers should update internal travel policies quickly: the embassy has clarified that service fees, forms and document check-lists will change on the switchover date, and any partially completed applications with the outgoing vendors must be resubmitted from scratch. Mobility managers are also advised to brief UAE-based staff on new collection locations; failure to pick up documents from the correct centre could trigger storage penalties. Long-term, officials hint that the tie-up is a pilot for a region-wide consolidation of outsourcing contracts, with similar tenders expected in Saudi Arabia and Qatar next year. If the Abu Dhabi model succeeds, Indian missions in the Gulf could move to a single technology platform, making it easier for expatriates to track applications when moving between countries on temporary assignments.
Meanwhile, applicants seeking an end-to-end digital solution can rely on VisaHQ’s dedicated India page (https://www.visahq.com/india/), which offers document checking, courier pickup and real-time tracking for passports and visas; the service provides a practical fallback for individuals and HR teams adjusting to the new UAE submission rules.
Crucially for businesses, the company will pilot an ‘Executive Desk’ that batches up to 50 passports from a single corporate client—useful for offshore crews and project teams rotating into India on short notice. Employers should update internal travel policies quickly: the embassy has clarified that service fees, forms and document check-lists will change on the switchover date, and any partially completed applications with the outgoing vendors must be resubmitted from scratch. Mobility managers are also advised to brief UAE-based staff on new collection locations; failure to pick up documents from the correct centre could trigger storage penalties. Long-term, officials hint that the tie-up is a pilot for a region-wide consolidation of outsourcing contracts, with similar tenders expected in Saudi Arabia and Qatar next year. If the Abu Dhabi model succeeds, Indian missions in the Gulf could move to a single technology platform, making it easier for expatriates to track applications when moving between countries on temporary assignments.
