Millions of Indian expatriates in the UAE woke up on 1 July to sharply higher passport charges after India’s Ministry of External Affairs implemented a worldwide fee increase. A standard 36-page passport now costs AED 450 (up from AED 285), while a 60-page booklet is AED 630. Tatkal (fast-track) services jumped to AED 900 and AED 1,080 respectively. At the same time, the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate-General in Dubai completed a long-planned outsourcing changeover: Alhind Tours and Travels LLC replaces BLS International and SGIVS Global as the sole contractor for passport, visa and attestation applications across 16 centres in all seven emirates. Indian residents account for roughly 27 % of the UAE population, making the shift one of the most significant consular transitions in the Gulf this decade. The new fee schedule and provider change coincide with peak summer-travel season, meaning mobility managers must update cost matrices for assignment support, dependent renewals and emergency travel documents.
![Indian passport fees jump 75 % in UAE as new consular provider takes over]()
Amid these changes, VisaHQ’s UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers both individual travellers and corporate HR teams a streamlined way to verify passport and visa requirements, book appointments and track application status online, helping to minimize queue times and unexpected costs.
Alhind says it has hired 500 additional staff and installed a new appointment portal to handle an expected 15,000 daily applications in July. Nevertheless, early users report longer biometric-capture queues as staff settle into new systems. Corporations are advising employees to secure slots well ahead of visa renewals to avoid overstaying fines. For employers sponsoring large Indian workforces, the direct cost of renewing a passport has risen by more than AED 165 per employee; budgets for 2026 should be adjusted accordingly. Companies that fund family services may see annual mobility costs rise significantly.
Amid these changes, VisaHQ’s UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers both individual travellers and corporate HR teams a streamlined way to verify passport and visa requirements, book appointments and track application status online, helping to minimize queue times and unexpected costs.
Alhind says it has hired 500 additional staff and installed a new appointment portal to handle an expected 15,000 daily applications in July. Nevertheless, early users report longer biometric-capture queues as staff settle into new systems. Corporations are advising employees to secure slots well ahead of visa renewals to avoid overstaying fines. For employers sponsoring large Indian workforces, the direct cost of renewing a passport has risen by more than AED 165 per employee; budgets for 2026 should be adjusted accordingly. Companies that fund family services may see annual mobility costs rise significantly.
