Hundreds of Indian expatriates lined up outside the Consulate-General of India in Dubai on Friday night as the mission took back control of passport, visa and attestation processing following a contractual dispute that stalled the planned hand-over to new service provider Alhind Tours & Travels. The interim arrangement – India’s first direct handling of consular services in the UAE in 15 years – will remain in place “until further notice,” officials said.
What changed. Outsourcing agreements with BLS International (passports) and SGIVS Global Services (attestations) expired on 30 June. A Delhi high-court injunction over the tender delayed Alhind’s activation, leaving a service gap at the height of the summer-travel rush. To prevent backlogs, the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Consulate switched to a walk-in, first-come-first-served model from 2 July, operating 09:00-12:30 daily. On day two the Consulate processed more than 800 applications and handled 1,400 visitors, with extra tents, mist fans and breastfeeding rooms set up to manage queues in 40 °C heat.
Business impact. Indian nationals make up roughly 28 % of the UAE workforce; any disruption to passport renewal or visa cancellation letters can delay onboarding, payroll and travel for thousands of employers. Companies should build in at least 10 working days for passport services during the interim period and monitor Alhind’s eventual go-live to avoid dual appointments.
![Indian missions resume walk-in passport & visa services in UAE after outsourcing row]()
To cushion the impact of any delays, organisations and individual travellers can also tap VisaHQ’s online portal, which streamlines UAE visa applications, coordinates international document attestation and offers courier collection across the Emirates; full service details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/
Cost savings. Many applicants welcomed the temporary arrangement because government fees are lower than charges at outsourced “premium lounges.” However, employers that relied on courier pickup and after-hours collection will need to dispatch PROs (public-relations officers) to the mission in person until outsourced value-added services restart.
What’s next. The Embassy has opened weekend pop-up counters in Sharjah and Fujairah to clear the backlog. Legal sources in New Delhi expect the court to rule on Alhind’s bid within two weeks, at which point outsourced centres could launch with revised SLAs. Corporate mobility managers should watch for updated token-booking procedures and revised pricing once the outsourcing model resumes.
What changed. Outsourcing agreements with BLS International (passports) and SGIVS Global Services (attestations) expired on 30 June. A Delhi high-court injunction over the tender delayed Alhind’s activation, leaving a service gap at the height of the summer-travel rush. To prevent backlogs, the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Consulate switched to a walk-in, first-come-first-served model from 2 July, operating 09:00-12:30 daily. On day two the Consulate processed more than 800 applications and handled 1,400 visitors, with extra tents, mist fans and breastfeeding rooms set up to manage queues in 40 °C heat.
Business impact. Indian nationals make up roughly 28 % of the UAE workforce; any disruption to passport renewal or visa cancellation letters can delay onboarding, payroll and travel for thousands of employers. Companies should build in at least 10 working days for passport services during the interim period and monitor Alhind’s eventual go-live to avoid dual appointments.
To cushion the impact of any delays, organisations and individual travellers can also tap VisaHQ’s online portal, which streamlines UAE visa applications, coordinates international document attestation and offers courier collection across the Emirates; full service details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/
Cost savings. Many applicants welcomed the temporary arrangement because government fees are lower than charges at outsourced “premium lounges.” However, employers that relied on courier pickup and after-hours collection will need to dispatch PROs (public-relations officers) to the mission in person until outsourced value-added services restart.
What’s next. The Embassy has opened weekend pop-up counters in Sharjah and Fujairah to clear the backlog. Legal sources in New Delhi expect the court to rule on Alhind’s bid within two weeks, at which point outsourced centres could launch with revised SLAs. Corporate mobility managers should watch for updated token-booking procedures and revised pricing once the outsourcing model resumes.
