- Indian expats in the UAE are demanding a fee rollback following a sharp rise in passport costs.
- A standard thirty-six-page adult passport now costs four hundred fifty dirhams, up from two hundred eighty-five.
- The Delhi High Court quashed the new outsourcing contract, forcing a fresh tender process for consular services.
Indian expats in UAE are pressing for a rollback of the new passport fee hike and a permanent fix after service delivery shifted on July 1, 2026. The bill rose first. The queues did too.
A normal fresh or reissued 36-page adult passport now costs Dh450, up from Dh285. A 60-page passport costs Dh630, up from Dh380. Tatkal rates are Dh900 and Dh1,080, while replacement for a lost or damaged passport runs Dh900 to Dh1,530. The jump is steep.
For minors, a fresh or reissued 36-page passport costs Dh325 normally and Dh775 under Tatkal. Children up to eight get a 10 percent discount on fresh passports, to Dh295 and Dh700. Renewals do not get that discount. The child rate changed too.
The fee revision follows the Government of India’s Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, issued through Gazette Notification GSR 516(E) on June 25, 2026. Indian missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai said the new rates apply across the UAE from July 1, 2026. The order came first.
Community groups have turned the price rise into a lobbying drive. S V Reddy, president of Telugu Rasamayi UAE, sent a representation to S. Jaishankar on July 15, saying, "A substantial increase in passport fees may place an additional financial burden on workers, students, and families living abroad." KV Shamsudheen said, "The hike had come as a shock to Indian workers across the Gulf countries. 60 to 70 per cent of Indian expats are low-income earners." The note landed hard.
Vinod Nambiar said the Dh450 fee can eat up half a month's salary for laborers earning Dh800 to Dh1,200. The broader problem is access, not only cost. Indian missions in the UAE began limited walk-in consular services on July 2, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., first come, first served. About 4.5 million Indian nationals live in the UAE. The line moved again.
Fees now running through the new schedule
| Category | Normal fee | Tatkal or special fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh or reissued 36-page adult passport | Dh450 | Dh900 | Up from Dh285 |
| Fresh or reissued 60-page adult passport | Dh630 | Dh1,080 | Up from Dh380 |
| Fresh or reissued 36-page minor passport | Dh325 | Dh775 | |
| Fresh passport for children up to eight | Dh295 | Dh700 | 10 percent discount; not on renewals |
| Lost or damaged passport replacement | Dh900 to Dh1,530 | Dh900 to Dh1,530 | Depends on page count and processing mode |
| Police Clearance Certificate | Dh145 | Flat fee |
The new network was meant to replace the old one
The plan was to move filings into Indian Consular Application Centres run by Alhind Tours and Travels LLC. The model called for 16 centres across the UAE and a flat Dh19 service fee per application. About 4.5 million Indian nationals live in the UAE, and the missions already handle roughly 1,760 transactions per day. It is a smaller charge.
The temporary counters have taken over
Indian missions introduced limited walk-in consular services on July 2, 2026, between 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., with applicants served first come, first served. Officials set up tents in courtyards, shifted to cash only, and waived service charges during the interim. Satish Kumar Sivan also warned that "Any representation by any entity, their agents, or representatives claiming to be authorized by the Embassy/Consulate is false and unauthorized." The stopgap showed.
A court order reset the clock
For 17 years, consular services were outsourced to BLS International and SGIVS Global. Their contracts ended on June 30, 2026, and the new handoff never settled. The gap widened.
On July 15, 2026, a Delhi High Court bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Shain Jain quashed the contract awarded to Alhind Tours and Travels LLC. The bench said the technical evaluation was "arbitrary, irrational and lack of transparency" and ordered a fresh Request for Proposal within one month. The reset reaches Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra too.
