The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate-General in Dubai have notified a five-day suspension of routine passport, visa and document-attestation services from 26 to 30 June 2026. The hiatus will allow a transition from long-time outsourcing partners BLS International and SGIVS Global to Al Hind Tours & Travel LLC, which begins operations on 1 July. During the blackout, only emergency services (death-related travel documents, life-threatening medical cases) will be handled directly by mission staff. Applicants with pending files lodged before 25 June need take no action; their cases will continue to be processed in the background. The change matters because the UAE hosts more than 3.5 million Indian nationals—the world’s largest overseas Indian community. HR teams supporting Gulf-based assignees must reschedule appointments and update intranet guidance to reflect Al Hind’s new 16-centre network and portal credentials. Service fees are expected to be standardised, but corporates should budget for possible teething delays during July. The MEA imposed a two-year tender ban on BLS last October following service-quality complaints, prompting this hand-over. Similar provider shifts are likely in Saudi Arabia and Qatar later this year, suggesting a broader overhaul of India’s outsourced consular model in the Gulf.
Source: Outlook Traveller
