All 16 Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) operated by Alhind Global Services across the UAE now open a ‘Sunday passport collection counter’ from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Gulf News reports. The initiative, launched last weekend with approval from the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai, helps Indian nationals retrieve passports outside the regular Monday-to-Saturday schedule. Indian citizens form the largest foreign community in the Emirates, and many struggle to visit consular centres during the work week. The extra window will speed up urgent travel, employment-visa stamping, Emirates ID renewal and dependent-visa processing. Alhind says early indicators show queues moving faster and backlogs cleared after a bumpy July handover of outsourcing contracts. For employers, the added service reduces downtime when staff need passports for visa transfers or overseas business trips. Multinational mobility managers can now plan document logistics over the weekend, potentially shortening assignment lead times by several days. Walk-in slots remain limited to emergency and Tatkal cases, but ICACs processed more than 53,000 applications in their first month, suggesting capacity has stabilised. The Indian missions remind applicants that only collection—not new submissions—is possible on Sundays and that standard security vetting still applies. Global-mobility teams with large Indian workforces should circulate the new timings, update relocation checklists and encourage employees to track appointment availability via the Alhind online portal.
Source: Gulf News
