Overview
- The Ministry of External Affairs awarded the UAE outsourcing contract to Alhind Tours & Travels after a November 2025 tender but the planned July 1 handover was paused when two unsuccessful bidders challenged the technical scoring in Indian courts.
- With the handover on hold, the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai are offering strictly limited walk‑in services for passports, visas and attestations from 9:00 to 12:30 on a first‑come, first‑served basis and accepting cash only.
- Alhind says it has completed operational set‑up for 16 consular, passport and visa centres across the seven emirates but cannot open without authorisation from the Indian mission or court clearance.
- The MEA's July 1 fee revision for passport and related services raises costs for UAE applicants and, combined with the service disruption, has created long queues and urgent cases such as travel and college admissions being put at risk.
- The procurement dispute has also put other MEA outsourcing rollouts on hold, including planned VFS Global operations in Australia, and missions have organised short outreach events to reduce applicant hardship while courts consider the case.