Four Indian passport centres in the UAE have shut: where to apply and collect now

Indians in the UAE who need a new passport, a renewal or other consular help have fewer places to go. The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi announced on 21 October 2026 that four of its 16 Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) would stop operating from 22 October. It gave administrative reasons and no further detail. The centres are run on the embassy’s behalf by Alhind Tours and Travels, which took over the service on 22 July 2026. Here is what to do now.

1. Check that your centre is still open

The four centres that have closed are:

• Musaffah, Abu Dhabi
• Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi
• Dubai Investment Park, Dubai
• Al Majaz, Sharjah

The other 12 centres continue to accept applications. If you had planned to visit one of the four, choose another centre when you book. The current list of centres is on the embassy’s website. Passport services are not offered at the embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General in Dubai themselves; they are handled only through the application centres.

2. Collect a pending passport from the new location

If you applied at one of the closed centres and are waiting for your passport, it will not be handed over there. Under an Alhind advisory effective 25 October, reported by Gulf News and Khaleej Times:

• Passports pending at Dubai Investment Park or Al Majaz are collected from the UW Mall centre in Bur Dubai.
• Passports pending at Musaffah or Al Reem are collected from the Al Danah centre in Abu Dhabi.

An earlier arrangement had kept delivery counters running at some of the closed sites. That has now ended, so do not travel to the old centre to collect.

3. Book ahead, or use the walk-in route if you qualify

Most services need an appointment, booked at consularsevainuae.com; slots are released at 9am and 9pm daily, centres open from 8am to 6pm, and entry is allowed only 15 minutes before your slot. The embassy says applications for Tatkal passports, newborns, Emergency Certificates (EC) and senior citizens aged 60 and above are also taken on a walk-in basis at all centres, first come, first served; its August notice adds people of determination and sets walk-in hours of 9am to 1pm. Applicants with appointments are seen in their slots, while walk-ins depend on spare capacity, so the embassy advises even these groups to book online where possible.

4. Expect another change in the coming weeks

The present arrangement is temporary. Alhind was allowed to run the service on an interim basis after court proceedings in India over the earlier tender, and the embassy issued a fresh tender dated 28 September 2026. Bids closed on 26 October. According to The National, it seeks one provider to run passport, visa and consular services for both the embassy and the Dubai consulate on a three-year contract, with 15 application centres across the UAE, and the winner is expected to be announced by 27 November. Centre locations could change again once a provider is chosen, so check the embassy website before every visit.

5. Where to get help

The embassy lists 02-6731899 for passport, consular, marriage, visa, birth and OCI enquiries. Official updates appear on indembassyuae.gov.in and cgidubai.gov.in. This guide is general information; for your own case, confirm with the embassy or the application centre.

Key dates

• 22 July 2026: Alhind Tours and Travels begins providing Indian consular, passport, visa and attestation services in the UAE.
• 28 September 2026: Embassy issues a new tender for a single service provider.
• 26 October 2026: Deadline for bids; technical bids opened the same day.
• 21 October 2026: Embassy announces the closure of four centres.
• 22 October 2026: Musaffah, Al Reem, Dubai Investment Park and Al Majaz stop operating; 12 centres remain.
• 25 October 2026: Pending passports moved to UW Mall (Bur Dubai) and Al Danah (Abu Dhabi) for collection.
• 27 November 2026: New service provider expected to be announced, according to Gulf News and The National.