India’s missions in the United Arab Emirates have confirmed that Alhind Tours & Travels LLC will replace BLS International and SGIVS Global as the sole outsourced service provider for Indian passport, visa and other consular applications from 1 July 2026. The announcement, published late on 12 June, affects an estimated 3.5 million Indian residents as well as UAE-based foreigners applying for Indian visas. Alhind says it will launch 16 customer-service centres across all seven emirates—its largest, in Bur Dubai, will host 45 counters and a token-less queueing system. Service fees are capped at AED 19 (about ₹430) plus government charges, a reduction from the AED 28 many applicants currently pay. Over 400 new staff have been hired and trained on India’s IVFRT (Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration & Tracking) interface to minimise teething problems. For Indian employers rotating staff through the Gulf, the switch means new submission addresses, revised check-lists and fresh appointment portals. Mobility managers should instruct travellers to finish any in-process work with BLS/SGIVS before 30 June; applications lodged after that date will be rejected and must be re-filed with Alhind. The UAE remains India’s top expatriate destination and a pivotal stop-over hub. A smoother, cheaper outsourcing model could shorten document-turnaround times—critical for oil-and-gas shutdown crews and IT engineers on tight project schedules. Still, companies should expect brief teething delays in July as biometric kits and courier routes bed in.
Source: Khaleej Times
