(ABU DHABI, UAE) – The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai launched a new online appointment portal on July 5, 2026 for passport, visa, attestation and other consular services, shifting bookings to book.passportindiauae.com as Indian missions in the UAE continue a broader reset of Indian passport services after a recent operational disruption.

The new appointment portal sets the basic rhythm for daily access at both missions. Applicants with confirmed bookings can enter 15 minutes before their scheduled time, and appointment slots are available from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Limited walk-in service remains in place from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, with priority reserved for newborn cases and Emergency Certificates.

Indian missions framed the change as a single entry point for routine consular work that had recently moved back under direct handling. The portal covers the main categories that shape daily footfall for Indian nationals in the UAE, from passport renewal and visa-related work to attestation and other requests that often require applicants to manage both online submissions and in-person document checks.

The launch follows a transition that began on July 1, 2026, when direct handling of services resumed after disruption tied to an outsourcing handover. That timing matters operationally even without a formal overhaul of the services themselves, because the booking system now sits at the center of how applicants reach the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai after several days of uncertainty around access and processing.

Applicants still need to complete a separate step before showing up at a mission. They must fill the passport application form through mportal.passportindia.gov.in/mission/ and upload photographs, signatures and documents carefully before booking or attending an appointment. That requirement places the digital submission process ahead of the physical appointment, rather than treating the visit itself as the start of the application.

Abu Dhabi applicants face specific routing rules once they reach the mission. CPV applicants must enter through the main gate on Al Safarat Street, while document-delivery and related queries go to the Consular Wing at Unit No. 101, 1st Floor, Guardian Tower (Technip Building), Al Ishirah Street. The separation suggests the mission is trying to reduce congestion at a single point of entry by directing different categories of visitors to different counters and buildings.

Dubai has its own division of access. Passport and visa applicants must use Gate No. 2, while attestation services run through Gate No. 1. Gate No. 1 also handles document delivery, labour-related issues and queries tied to applications that have already been submitted. That split is likely to shape crowd movement through the premises, especially during the morning hours when both booked appointments and limited walk-ins overlap.

Contact channels remain unchanged despite the portal switch. The missions kept the toll-free number at 800 46342 (800 INDIA) and the WhatsApp line at +971 54 309 0571, preserving the same public-facing help points while moving appointment booking online. Keeping those numbers in place reduces one layer of change for applicants who may already be adjusting to new access rules and a different booking system.

The practical burden of the new arrangement falls on preparation before arrival. Applicants now need to complete the online form, upload the required files carefully, secure a slot on the appointment portal and then arrive within the narrow access window set by the missions. Entry opens just 15 minutes before the booked time, which leaves little room for incomplete paperwork or uncertainty about the correct gate or office.

Walk-in access remains available, but in a limited form that signals tighter control over demand. The 9:00 am to 11:00 am walk-in period continues at both missions, though newborn cases and Emergency Certificates receive priority. That preserves some flexibility for urgent cases while placing most routine work inside the appointment portal, a balance that often becomes necessary when missions try to restore order after a service handover or processing interruption.

Indian passport services in the UAE carry weight well beyond routine paperwork because the country hosts a large expatriate population that depends on consular access for travel documents, attested records and emergency documentation. A missed booking or an incorrect upload can disrupt travel plans, labour paperwork or identity-document renewal. The new appointment portal does not change those underlying needs, but it does change how applicants reach the first step.

What the missions have now put in place is a more structured front door. Applicants seeking passports or visas in Dubai head to Gate No. 2; those with attestation work, document delivery, labour-related issues or submitted-application queries go to Gate No. 1. In Abu Dhabi, CPV traffic moves through the main gate on Al Safarat Street, while document-delivery work shifts to Guardian Tower. After a week defined by transition, the system for bookings, entry and urgent walk-ins is no longer scattered across temporary arrangements.