Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates will file all passport requests on a brand-new ‘Passport Seva Programme 2.0’ (PSP 2.0) portal from 28 October 2025. Announced jointly by the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai on 27 October, the upgrade is the first overseas roll-out of India’s next-generation passport platform.
PSP 2.0 introduces fully digital end-to-end processing, including online document uploads, real-time application tracking and an integrated payment gateway that supports dirham as well as rupee cards. Most importantly, the system will begin issuing India’s long-awaited e-passport—a booklet with an embedded, ICAO-compliant microchip that stores the holder’s biometric and biographic data. Consular officials say the chip will make authentication faster at global e-gates, reduce the risk of tampering and pave the way for automated border control at India’s airports.
The missions have worked with service partner BLS International to retrofit Dubai and Abu Dhabi passport centres with NFC readers and secure lamination stations. In a briefing, Consul-General Satish Kumar explained that the average counter time is expected to fall from 12 minutes to under five, potentially cutting overall wait times by 30–40 per cent during the busy winter travel season.
For Indian employers in the Gulf, the change matters because almost 3.5 million resident staff will now be able to renew passports—and obtain the new 64-page jumbo book—entirely online, eliminating physical document resubmission when data corrections are required. Airlines and travel managers also welcome the move, noting that e-passports should speed departures at Dubai International, where Indians make up the single-largest outbound nationality.
Indian authorities have confirmed that PSP 2.0 will be extended to missions in Singapore, London and New York over the next six months, with a domestic deployment across all 93 Passport Seva Kendras targeted for mid-2026. HR and mobility teams should update internal checklists to ensure travellers are carrying e-passports (identified by the small gold-coloured chip logo on the cover) when travelling after renewal, as some automated gates will eventually accept only the new format.
PSP 2.0 introduces fully digital end-to-end processing, including online document uploads, real-time application tracking and an integrated payment gateway that supports dirham as well as rupee cards. Most importantly, the system will begin issuing India’s long-awaited e-passport—a booklet with an embedded, ICAO-compliant microchip that stores the holder’s biometric and biographic data. Consular officials say the chip will make authentication faster at global e-gates, reduce the risk of tampering and pave the way for automated border control at India’s airports.
The missions have worked with service partner BLS International to retrofit Dubai and Abu Dhabi passport centres with NFC readers and secure lamination stations. In a briefing, Consul-General Satish Kumar explained that the average counter time is expected to fall from 12 minutes to under five, potentially cutting overall wait times by 30–40 per cent during the busy winter travel season.
For Indian employers in the Gulf, the change matters because almost 3.5 million resident staff will now be able to renew passports—and obtain the new 64-page jumbo book—entirely online, eliminating physical document resubmission when data corrections are required. Airlines and travel managers also welcome the move, noting that e-passports should speed departures at Dubai International, where Indians make up the single-largest outbound nationality.
Indian authorities have confirmed that PSP 2.0 will be extended to missions in Singapore, London and New York over the next six months, with a domestic deployment across all 93 Passport Seva Kendras targeted for mid-2026. HR and mobility teams should update internal checklists to ensure travellers are carrying e-passports (identified by the small gold-coloured chip logo on the cover) when travelling after renewal, as some automated gates will eventually accept only the new format.
