UAE to get 16 New Indian Passport and Visa Centres in major expat services overhaul / Image: File
More than four million Indians living in the UAE are set to see a major overhaul in passport, visa and consular services, after India awarded a massive outsourcing contract to Kerala-based Alhind Group, which will launch 16 new service centres across all seven emirates from July 1, 2026.This move ends a long era for BLS International, which has handled Indian passport and visa support services in the UAE since 2011. Under the new arrangement, Indian residents in the UAE will now use Alhind-operated centres for passport renewals, visa applications, OCI cards, Police Clearance Certificates (PCC), surrender certificates and other key consular services linked to the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai.The announcement is being closely watched across the Gulf because the Indian community in the UAE is the country’s largest expatriate population, estimated at over 4.3 million residents. Any change to passport and visa systems directly affects the daily lives of workers, professionals, families and businesses across the Emirates.
UAE’s passport and visa services shift in 2026
The contract was officially awarded by the Indian Embassy after a competitive tender process involving four major bidders, Alhind, VFS Global, DU Digital Global and SGIVS Global. According to the embassy, Alhind secured the deal after submitting the lowest financial bid.In an official notice, the Indian mission confirmed that the contract covers:
- Passport renewals and fresh applications
- Indian visa processing
- OCI card services
- Police Clearance Certificates
- Surrender Certificates
- Global Entry Programme verification
- Apostille and attestation services
The company says the transition will officially begin from July 1, with operations expanding rapidly across the UAE.Speaking to Gulf media, Mohammed Haris T said the goal is to make services “more affordable and accessible” for Indian residents. He confirmed the company will introduce a unified all-inclusive service fee of Dh19 above embassy charges, which will include services such as photography and photocopying.“We want to make the process as affordable as possible,” Haris said while outlining the company’s expansion plans across the Emirates.
16 new Indian Consular Centres across UAE
One of the biggest changes for Indian expats will be the expansion of physical service centres. Alhind says it plans to operate from 16 locations across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Al Ain, Kalba and Khor Fakkan.For many Indian residents outside central Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the new rollout could significantly reduce travel time for routine paperwork and passport appointments.The company also plans to heavily digitise backend operations. According to Arun Radhakrishnan, while the application process itself will remain broadly familiar, the company intends to introduce upgraded online systems and digital processing tools.“The website will change, the process will be similar, but we are planning to digitise everything,” Radhakrishnan said.The transition is also creating a major hiring wave in the UAE. Alhind has announced recruitment for more than 300 roles linked to the new operations, including submission officers, operations executives, branch heads and front-desk staff. The company says fresh graduates with valid UAE residence visas are also being considered for several positions.
Alhind’s UAE expansion
Founded in Kerala in 1992, Alhind began operations in the Gulf region in the mid-1990s and has since expanded into travel, foreign exchange, IT services and luxury transport businesses. The company is also building a larger aviation presence in India after receiving approval to launch a domestic airline project.Although Alhind is better known in travel circles than in large-scale consular outsourcing, the company already operates authorised attestation and Apostille collection centres across India and has experience managing documentation systems.For the UAE’s Indian community, however, the focus now shifts to how smoothly the July transition unfolds. With millions depending on passport and visa services every year, the success of the rollout could shape the future of Indian consular operations across the Gulf for years to come.
Why the change is big news
The development is attracting huge attention among Indian residents because consular services are essential for almost every major life event in the UAE from visa renewals and passport updates to family sponsorships, newborn registrations and emergency travel documents.For years, many Indian expats associated these services with BLS centres across the UAE. The sudden switch to a new operator therefore represents one of the biggest operational changes to Indian consular services in the Gulf in over a decade.The transition also comes after India’s Ministry of External Affairs debarred BLS International from participating in new Indian mission tenders for two years over allegations involving complaints and legal cases linked to applicants. BLS has previously said the action would not affect its existing global operations.Industry observers say the first few months after the switchover will be closely monitored because of the sheer scale of the Indian diaspora in the UAE. Analysts note that even small disruptions could potentially affect thousands of appointments, travel plans and document submissions daily.Some concerns have also emerged around operational readiness, staffing and data security because consular systems involve sensitive personal documents, biometric details and financial information. Experts quoted in UAE reports have urged authorities to ensure strong oversight during the rollout phase.Still, many residents are hopeful the larger network of centres and lower service charges could ultimately make passport and visa services faster and more convenient. Go to Source
