Indian Embassy names Al Hind Tours & Travels new outsourcing partner for passport and visa services across UAE

The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi has confirmed that, following a competitive tender, Al Hind Tours & Travels LLC will take over all outsourced Indian passport, visa and consular services in the UAE from 1 July 2026. Current providers BLS International and SGIVS Global will continue accepting applications until 30 June, after which responsibility—and applicant data—will migrate to Al Hind-run centres in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. With an estimated 3.6 million Indian citizens living and working in the Emirates, the switch is significant for mobility managers who regularly process employment visas, NOC attestations and passport renewals for Indian assignees. Al Hind already operates similar centres in Kuwait and Qatar and says it will roll out a multilingual e-appointment system, WhatsApp status alerts and an optional premium lounge aimed at corporate accounts. The Embassy has urged applicants to rely solely on official websites during the transition and warned against third-party agents promising priority slots—a persistent compliance headache for HR departments. Crucially, files lodged with BLS or SGIVS before 30 June will continue to be processed under the old contract; employers should therefore track which cases may straddle the hand-over date to avoid collection delays. For businesses, Al Hind’s wider GCC presence could streamline cross-border document legalisation when staff rotate between Gulf states. The company says it will also pilot a courier-return option for passports, cutting the need for repeated branch visits—a welcome enhancement given peak-season crowds. The Embassy, meanwhile, will retain ultimate adjudication authority and will station liaison officers at key centres during July to monitor service levels. Although the change does not alter substantive visa rules, smoother processing should reduce administrative friction at a time when Indian technical talent remains pivotal to UAE diversification initiatives in AI, energy and construction. Mobility teams are advised to refresh internal checklists and budget for revised service fees once the new tariff schedule is published later this week.