Rumours of a total shutdown of Indian visa and passport processing overseas were put to rest on 3 July 2026 when Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters that missions in Australia, Kuwait and the UAE are “continuing limited consular services” directly, pending legal resolution of outsourcing contracts. The clarification follows VFS Global’s suspension of Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) services across nine Australian centres on 1 July after a rival bidder challenged the new outsourcing tender in Delhi High Court.
![MEA Confirms Limited Consular Services in Australia, UAE and Kuwait as VFS Contract Stuck in Court]()
During this fluid period, travellers and mobility teams can turn to VisaHQ for up-to-date guidance and alternative processing strategies. VisaHQ’s India portal tracks embassy advisories in real time and offers personalised assistance for emergency passports, attestation, and short-notice visas, helping applicants navigate the gaps until full outsourcing resumes.
Similar disputes have delayed transitions to Al Hind Tours & Travels in the UAE and BLS International in Kuwait. For now, emergency passports, life-or-death travel documents, attestation and limited visa categories (medical, bereavement) are processed at embassies and consulates, while routine tourist and OCI applications are on hold. Applicants must email missions for appointments; walk-ins are discouraged due to staffing constraints. Mobility managers relocating staff to these countries should build in 6-8-week lead times and advise employees to keep existing passports valid for at least 12 months. Indian employers seconding staff overseas may need to arrange in-country renewals through local authorities or fly employees to India for biometric capture until outsourcing resumes. The dust-up rekindles debate over India’s heavy reliance on private visa outsourcers. Industry insiders say MEA is studying a hybrid model where core services—passport renewals, emergency visas—remain in-house, while volume segments such as OCI and tourist visas stay outsourced but under tighter Service-Level Agreements.
During this fluid period, travellers and mobility teams can turn to VisaHQ for up-to-date guidance and alternative processing strategies. VisaHQ’s India portal tracks embassy advisories in real time and offers personalised assistance for emergency passports, attestation, and short-notice visas, helping applicants navigate the gaps until full outsourcing resumes.
Similar disputes have delayed transitions to Al Hind Tours & Travels in the UAE and BLS International in Kuwait. For now, emergency passports, life-or-death travel documents, attestation and limited visa categories (medical, bereavement) are processed at embassies and consulates, while routine tourist and OCI applications are on hold. Applicants must email missions for appointments; walk-ins are discouraged due to staffing constraints. Mobility managers relocating staff to these countries should build in 6-8-week lead times and advise employees to keep existing passports valid for at least 12 months. Indian employers seconding staff overseas may need to arrange in-country renewals through local authorities or fly employees to India for biometric capture until outsourcing resumes. The dust-up rekindles debate over India’s heavy reliance on private visa outsourcers. Industry insiders say MEA is studying a hybrid model where core services—passport renewals, emergency visas—remain in-house, while volume segments such as OCI and tourist visas stay outsourced but under tighter Service-Level Agreements.
