Thousands of Indians face severe hardship due to consular services closure in UAE
Abu Dhabi: Indian nationals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are facing difficulties in obtaining passports, visas, document attestation and other consular services, making it difficult for Indians living abroad to carry out basic travel and legal matters.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the system of providing Indian consular services in the UAE has been affected due to a legal dispute. As a result of the court order, the new company has yet to formally take over the services, which has led to the suspension of passport renewals, visas, document verification and other consular services.
According to reports, Indian consular services in the UAE were previously being provided by BLS International and SGIVS, but the contracts of these companies expired on June 30, 2026.
Under the new tender, Al Hind Tours and Travel was selected as the new service provider for the Indian Consular Application Centres and was to take over the services from July 1, but the transfer was stopped due to legal proceedings.
Two companies have challenged the technical review and scoring procedure of the tender in India’s Delhi High Court. The matter later reached the Indian Supreme Court, where the court ordered the status quo to be maintained and prevented any further changes until a final decision. Due to the same court order, the new company could not officially take over the services, while the previous companies also closed their centers to the public, which caused temporary disruption in consular services.
Indian diplomatic missions have described the situation as a temporary arrangement and said that further announcements regarding the transfer of services to the new company will be made after the court proceedings are completed and legal hurdles are removed.
Indian citizens are facing serious problems related to employment, business and residency status due to non-timely renewal of their travel documents, delays in visa-related matters and non-verification of official documents.
The affected people have expressed serious concern over the situation and have demanded an immediate and permanent solution from the Indian government.
Observers say that the continuous provision of consular services in countries hosting millions of Indian citizens is the primary responsibility of the government, however, this crisis has exposed administrative failures and poor planning for Indians living abroad.
