Indian nationals are the UAE’s single-largest expatriate community and rely heavily on a network of outsourcing centres to renew passports, apply for visas and attest documents. On 21 October the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi confirmed that four of those facilities would shut down overnight, reducing the network from 16 to 12 Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) as of 22 October 2026. Services handled by the closed branches in Abu Dhabi’s Musaffah and Al Reem districts, Dubai Investment Park 1 and Sharjah’s Al Majaz have been transferred to the remaining sites in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Dhafra, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Kalba and Khor Fakkan. The embassy says the move will simplify oversight and standardise processing times now that all centres are run by the same outsourced contractor, Al Hind Tours & Travels. Applicants may still walk in for emergency travel documents but are being urged to book appointments online as the surviving centres brace for higher footfall. The embassy has circulated a detailed list of contact numbers and GPS coordinates for each branch and has redeployed staff to boost capacity in Dubai’s Bur Dubai ICAC, which already handles more than 1,000 applications per day. For companies, the change means travel-desk staff must update courier arrangements and employee handbooks to reflect the new addresses or risk delays to planned business travel. Mobility managers should also remind Indian assignees that biometrics capture for passport re-issue is now mandatory and that incomplete documentation will no longer be accepted at the counter. The consolidation comes as the Indian government prepares to roll out a next-generation e-passport with integrated biometrics early in 2027. Officials in Abu Dhabi say a leaner network will make it easier to install the new systems when they arrive and will help clear a post-pandemic backlog of nearly 80,000 passport renewals. While no service interruptions are expected, travellers with imminent trips are advised to lodge applications well in advance and to track processing times through the ICAC portal.
Source: Gulf News
