Four million Indians in the UAE to now go to different place for passport, visa and consular services after the award of a massive outsourcing contract to Kerala based Alhind Group. From July 1, 2026, the Alhind Group will operate 16 new service centres across all the seven Emirates for key services provisioned by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General of India in Dubai. The Alhind Group will be operating the new service centres at the end of July 2026 after BLS International who has been operating on behalf of the Embassy of India in the United Arab Emirates since 2011.
What Is Happening At The New Centres?
From July 1 2026 onwards, the new service centres operated by Alhind will cater to various services for the Indian residents in the UAE. Some of the services that the new service centres shall provide are:
- 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 Indian Embassy awarded the contract after a competitive tender process. Four major players were involved in the tender including Alhind, VFS Global, DU Digital Global and SGIVS Global. Alhind came out on top after a very low financial bid
16 New Service Centres Across All 7 Emirates
Innovated passport and visa services near you
One of the most significant changes for Indian expats will be the increase in physical service centres across the UAE. Alhind will pick up services from 16 different locations across the UAE, spanning Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Al Ain, Kalba and Khor Fakkan.
The expanded network is expected to make passport and visa services more convenient for Indians residing in smaller towns and cities outside of major centres like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The majority of expats still travel to distant locations for routine paperwork and appointments.
Expect Lower Service Charges to be Introduced
Alhind officials said the company will be lowering the cost of consular services for Indian expats. Mohammed Haris T told Gulf media the company will be introducing a single all-inclusive service charge of Dh19 added to embassy charges.
In addition to the usual charge, the fee is also said to cover additional services like photography and photocopying, which are usually an extra cost at service centres.
Digital Upgrade to Indian Consular Services Being Introduced
The company also revealed that backend processes will be digitised to make the whole process more efficient. Alhind officials told Gulf Media that key processes like application will remain unchanged for residents despite upgraded online systems and digital processing tools being introduced in phases.
The new online system and backend processing is expected to make appointments more convenient, while speeding up document handling and application tracking for residents.
Hiring Wave Expected Across UAE
This shift is also expected to be a boon for jobs in the UAE. Alhind has confirmed that it has opened up more than 300 slots as a result of its new operations. The openings include submission officers, fronts desk staff, branch heads and operations executives. The company said it will also be hiring fresh graduates with a valid UAE residence visa for a variety of roles.
Why Is This Change Of Interest To Indian Expats?
Entrepreneurs and service providers around the Gulf pay more attention to this shift because the Indian community is the country’s largest expatriate population, with more than 4.3 million residents.
Daily consular services such as passport renewals, family sponsorships, newborn registrations, emergency travel documents and passport updates are a staple part of daily life in the Gulf. A disruption in these processes may have an impact on thousands of people.
For years, most Indians associated various consular services with the BLS centres. Thus, this change to a completely new operator is likely to be one of the biggest consular operational changes for Indians in the Gulf in a decade.
Concerns About Transition And Data Security
Industry experts say the first few months following the transition will be a critical period due to the magnitude of operations. And analysts have noted that little technical hiccups in the process could affect appointments, travel plans and document submission process across the UAE. There are also growing concerns about staffing, operational readiness and data security as consular systems process sensitive personal documents, biometric data and financial information.
But many residents are optimistic after learning that the wider presence of the centres, lower service charges and upgraded digital systems will eventually make for a faster, smoother passport and visa process.
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