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By appointment only: Indian Consulate in Dubai says no walk-ins for passport services
This comes a week after the Indian missions in the UAE began directly processing passport services, following a legal battle that has delayed the transition to a new provider
- PUBLISHED: Tue 7 Jul 2026, 11:03 AM
The Consulate General of India in Dubai has clarified that walk-in applicants will not be accepted for consular services. In a message issued on Tuesday, the consulate said appointments for consular services must be booked strictly through the official online booking system.
This comes a week after the Indian missions in the UAE began directly processing passport services, following a legal battle that has delayed the transition to a new provider. Applicants have been advised to book their slots through the link: book.passportindiauae.com.
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To book, applicants must first register on the website with their email address. A verification link is sent to this email, allowing them to select an appointment time. They must choose between passport services, attestation and visa requirements. Slots are limited at both the Consulate General of India in Dubai and the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi, with appointments typically released the previous day.
Priority will be given to newborn cases and emergency certificates.
Delays
The Indian mission has seen an unusually high number of applicants due to the summer peak travel period. They began temporarily handling the services directly on July 1 after a disruption in the outsourcing process. Initially, the process was only through walk-ins and on some days the consulate saw almost 1,500 people.
More than 100 staff members are working around the clock to reduce delays as much as possible. The consulate had set up tents, offered free snacks and catered to as many people as they could to meet the demand.
Now, the missions have specified that prior appointments must be taken for services and have specified the gates that applicants must use for this service. The entry point to the Embassy in Abu Dhabi for consular services is the Main gate on Al Safarat Street. All queries, including document delivery, will be handled at the Consular Wing, Unit No. 101, 1st Floor, Guardian Tower (Technip Building), Al Ishirah Street, Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, the entry at the Consulate General of India in Dubai for Passport & Visa applications is from Gate No. 1.
Legal battle
The contract for consular services was awarded to Alhind Tours & Travels LLC in November 2025 after a tender, putting an end to the tenure of the previous contractor BLS International who has been handling it since 2011.
However, a legal tussle by two companies which were unsuccessful in the tender process, has left Alhind unable to roll out the services even though they are operationally ready to do so.
The verdict of the case is expected to be delivered soon.
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.