Indian nationals in the Emirates will pay sharply higher rates for passport services from 1 July 2026 after the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai published a revised fee chart in line with India’s Passports (Amendment) Rules 2026. A standard 36-page adult passport rises from AED 285 to AED 450, while a 60-page booklet jumps to AED 630. Tatkal (urgent) processing now costs AED 900 and AED 1,080 respectively.
![Indian Embassy hikes passport fees for UAE’s 4.5 million-strong diaspora]()
Travellers juggling both passport renewals and destination visas may find it simpler to route the paperwork through VisaHQ’s online platform, which supports UAE residents with step-by-step visa applications for more than 200 countries; the dedicated UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers real-time tracking and door-to-door document handling, a useful buffer if consular queues lengthen during the transition.
Fees for replacements of lost or damaged passports have increased by up to 70 per cent, and miscellaneous documents—police clearance, surrender certificates, Global Entry verification—now attract AED 145. Minors retain discounted rates and children under eight enjoy a further 10 per cent reduction. The timing coincides with a service-provider transition: legacy contractors BLS and SGIVS closed on 26 June, with applications shifting to the new Indian Consular Application Centres run by Alhind Tours & Travels. Regular appointments resume 2 July; in the interim, only emergency cases are handled via the PBSK helpline. For UAE employers, the change means higher sponsorship costs and possible processing backlogs as the new vendor beds in. HR teams should alert Indian staff whose passports expire within six months to renew before fees go up and factor the new charges into relocation budgets. Travel managers should also monitor visa lead times for destinations such as the US or Schengen area that require valid passports well in advance. Since the last price revision in 2012, UAE missions have seen consular workloads soar—handling 1.58 million transactions in 2024 alone. Officials argue the new tariff will fund upgraded biometric systems and additional counters, but community groups worry low-income workers will defer renewals, risking illegal overstay fines.
Travellers juggling both passport renewals and destination visas may find it simpler to route the paperwork through VisaHQ’s online platform, which supports UAE residents with step-by-step visa applications for more than 200 countries; the dedicated UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers real-time tracking and door-to-door document handling, a useful buffer if consular queues lengthen during the transition.
Fees for replacements of lost or damaged passports have increased by up to 70 per cent, and miscellaneous documents—police clearance, surrender certificates, Global Entry verification—now attract AED 145. Minors retain discounted rates and children under eight enjoy a further 10 per cent reduction. The timing coincides with a service-provider transition: legacy contractors BLS and SGIVS closed on 26 June, with applications shifting to the new Indian Consular Application Centres run by Alhind Tours & Travels. Regular appointments resume 2 July; in the interim, only emergency cases are handled via the PBSK helpline. For UAE employers, the change means higher sponsorship costs and possible processing backlogs as the new vendor beds in. HR teams should alert Indian staff whose passports expire within six months to renew before fees go up and factor the new charges into relocation budgets. Travel managers should also monitor visa lead times for destinations such as the US or Schengen area that require valid passports well in advance. Since the last price revision in 2012, UAE missions have seen consular workloads soar—handling 1.58 million transactions in 2024 alone. Officials argue the new tariff will fund upgraded biometric systems and additional counters, but community groups worry low-income workers will defer renewals, risking illegal overstay fines.
