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Indian passport delays in UAE: Delhi court cancels Alhind services, orders retendering
The judgment adds that 'existing incumbents' may be allowed to temporarily continue their services to avoid disruption
- PUBLISHED: Wed 15 Jul 2026, 12:10 PM UPDATED: Thu 16 Jul 2026, 12:50 PM
In a move that is likely to further exacerbate the current delays in passport renewals faced by Indian expats in the UAE, an Indian court has ruled that there should be a retendering procedure for outsourcing the consular services.
This will include service at the Indian Mission in Abu Dhabi, along with those in Kuwait, Singapore, and Australia.
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The Delhi High Court’s ruling came after petitions filed by two bidders, who were disqualified at the technical evaluation stage. The court found that the respondent authorities failed to disclose the basis for awarding marks.
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This nullified the tender which was awarded to Alhind Tours & Travels and has directed the Ministry of External Affairs to issue fresh RFPs (Request for Proposal) for all concerned missions within one month.
Kerala-based Alhind, was meant to take over on July 1 after winning the tender with the lowest financial bid. The company had completed the work for 16 centres across the UAE including a 12,000 sq ft facility in Bur Dubai with over 45 counters.
The judgment adds that "existing incumbents" may be allowed to temporarily continue their services to avoid disruption. However, it now remains at the discretion of the Indian missions to decide how the services will be provided. Khaleej Times has reached out to the Indian missions for more clarity on the situation.
How the situation unfolded
The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi awarded the contract to Alhind following a tender issued in November 2025. Alhind was picked for being the lowest financial bid from four shortlisted companies
The contract covers services including passport, visa, OCI, police clearance certificates (PCC), surrender certificates (SC), Global Entry Programme (GEP) verification and related attestation support at the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai.
However, two unsuccessful petitioners challenged the legality and transparency of the evaluation process but not the technical judgment itself. Now the Delhi High Court has ruled in favour of these petitioners, asking the Ministry of External Affairs to issue fresh request for proposals (RFP) for all concerned missions within one month.
With BLS and SGIVS gone and Alhind unable to formally step in, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General in Dubai have been running passport, visa, and attestation services directly from their own premises since July 1 — the first time in 17 years they have done so.
The missions had warned applicants against unauthorised agents falsely claiming to arrange appointments. Booking on the official portal is free, and no third party is authorised to charge for this service. Limited walk-ins are allowed at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, the charges of Indian passport renewal and other consular services were increased steeply by the country’s government earlier this year.
