Indian missions in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have issued public advisories reminding the 8-million-strong Gulf diaspora that revised passport fees took effect on July 1 under the Passports (Amendment) Rules 2026. Fees for a standard 36-page passport have risen to AED 190 in the UAE and SAR 146 in Saudi Arabia, while a Tatkal 60-page booklet now costs AED 570. The embassies warned that applications submitted with outdated demand drafts will be rejected, urging applicants to verify charges before booking VFS appointments.
![Indian Embassies in Gulf Notify Expatriates of Higher Passport Fees From 1 July]()
For applicants seeking an easier way to stay on top of these changes, VisaHQ provides real-time fee updates, digital application reviews and courier assistance for Indian passport renewals and other consular services; simply visit https://www.visahq.com/india/ to streamline the process and avoid costly mistakes.
The move aligns Gulf pricing with the new ₹2,500 fee inside India and offsets higher processing costs for outsourced centres, officials said. Yet community groups argue the increase will hit low-income workers hard; about 35 percent of Indian expatriates in the Gulf earn less than AED 1,200 a month. Recruitment agencies that supply Indian technicians to Abu Dhabi’s clean-energy projects predict a short-term rush for “lost” passport reissues as workers attempt to beat the next upward revision forecast for 2028. Employers running block renewals have been advised to budget an extra 15–20 percent for document costs in FY 2026-27 contracts.
For applicants seeking an easier way to stay on top of these changes, VisaHQ provides real-time fee updates, digital application reviews and courier assistance for Indian passport renewals and other consular services; simply visit https://www.visahq.com/india/ to streamline the process and avoid costly mistakes.
The move aligns Gulf pricing with the new ₹2,500 fee inside India and offsets higher processing costs for outsourced centres, officials said. Yet community groups argue the increase will hit low-income workers hard; about 35 percent of Indian expatriates in the Gulf earn less than AED 1,200 a month. Recruitment agencies that supply Indian technicians to Abu Dhabi’s clean-energy projects predict a short-term rush for “lost” passport reissues as workers attempt to beat the next upward revision forecast for 2028. Employers running block renewals have been advised to budget an extra 15–20 percent for document costs in FY 2026-27 contracts.
