Indian passport, visa and document-attestation services in the United Arab Emirates are suspended from 26 to 30 June 2026 while the Embassy of India moves to a new integrated service provider. All application centres run by the outgoing vendors—BLS International (passports/visas) and SGIVS Global (attestation)—stopped accepting files after close of business on 25 June. During the switchover, emergency cases (medical or death-related travel) will be handled directly at the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai.
![Indian Embassy in UAE Halts Consular Services 26–30 June During Outsourcing Transition]()
Travellers who prefer professional assistance during this blackout can turn to VisaHQ, whose India desk monitors daily mission notices and pre-screens paperwork for errors. Through its secure platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/), clients can prepare passport, visa or attestation packages in advance and even arrange courier pick-up once submissions resume—minimising queue time and the risk of a rejected file.
Normal appointments booked for this window have been auto-rescheduled for early July; applicants will receive new dates by SMS. For the UAE’s 3.5 million-strong Indian diaspora—the largest in any single country—the outage affects passport renewals, PCCs (Police Clearance Certificates), OCI card applications and power-of-attorney attestations often needed for property transactions back home. Corporate HR teams managing resident-visa renewals must also adjust timelines, as the MOHRE system requires a valid passport with six-month validity to renew work permits. The embassy says the new vendor will merge multiple legacy booking portals into a single dashboard and introduce optional courier return (AED 35) for processed documents. A front-end fee hike appears unlikely immediately, but industry insiders note that other missions that switched vendors in 2025 raised service charges within six months. Travellers transiting Dubai or Abu Dhabi who discover expiring passports during this period have limited recourse; airlines will continue to deny boarding if minimum validity rules are not met. Companies should proactively audit expatriate passport expiries to avoid costly travel disruptions.
Travellers who prefer professional assistance during this blackout can turn to VisaHQ, whose India desk monitors daily mission notices and pre-screens paperwork for errors. Through its secure platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/), clients can prepare passport, visa or attestation packages in advance and even arrange courier pick-up once submissions resume—minimising queue time and the risk of a rejected file.
Normal appointments booked for this window have been auto-rescheduled for early July; applicants will receive new dates by SMS. For the UAE’s 3.5 million-strong Indian diaspora—the largest in any single country—the outage affects passport renewals, PCCs (Police Clearance Certificates), OCI card applications and power-of-attorney attestations often needed for property transactions back home. Corporate HR teams managing resident-visa renewals must also adjust timelines, as the MOHRE system requires a valid passport with six-month validity to renew work permits. The embassy says the new vendor will merge multiple legacy booking portals into a single dashboard and introduce optional courier return (AED 35) for processed documents. A front-end fee hike appears unlikely immediately, but industry insiders note that other missions that switched vendors in 2025 raised service charges within six months. Travellers transiting Dubai or Abu Dhabi who discover expiring passports during this period have limited recourse; airlines will continue to deny boarding if minimum validity rules are not met. Companies should proactively audit expatriate passport expiries to avoid costly travel disruptions.
