Abu Dhabi: India has extended emergency-only consular services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until July 1 due to administrative reasons.
In a post on X on Monday, June 29, the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi said both the embassy and the Consulate General of India in Dubai will continue to provide only emergency passport, visa, miscellaneous consular and attestation services until July 1.
The extension follows an earlier announcement issued on June 19, which said routine consular services would be temporarily suspended during the transition to a new outsourced provider for passport, visa and attestation services in the UAE. Under the new system, Alhind Tours and Travel LLC is expected to take over the delivery of passport, visa and other consular services.
Ahead of the transition, BLS International, which handled passport and visa applications, and SGIVS Global, which managed attestation services, stopped accepting new applications after the close of business on June 25.
The Indian mission had initially said routine appointments would be unavailable between June 26 and June 30. The latest advisory extends the emergency-only service period by an additional day.
Applicants requiring urgent assistance can continue to access emergency services through the existing toll-free helpline, WhatsApp number and email support.
The embassy said details of consular services from July 2 will be announced separately.
It advised Indian nationals in the UAE to rely only on the official communication channels and social media accounts of the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai for updates on passport, visa, attestation and other consular services.
