Indian Passport Services in UAE Face Fresh Uncertainty After Delhi High Court Orders New Tender Process

The Delhi High Court has cancelled the tender awarded to Kerala-based Alhind Tours & Travels for outsourcing Indian consular services in several countries, including the UAE, and has directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to conduct a fresh bidding process.

The ruling comes at a time when many Indian expatriates in the UAE are already facing delays in passport renewals and other consular services, raising concerns that the transition could further affect service timelines.

The court order Kuwait, Singapore and Australia applies to outsourced services at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, as well as Indian missions in.

The Delhi High Court passed the order following petitions filed by two bidders who were disqualified during the technical evaluation stage of the tender process. The petitioners challenged the transparency of the evaluation procedure, arguing that the authorities had not disclosed the basis on which marks were awarded.

The court found shortcomings in the process and set aside the tender awarded to Alhind, directing the MEA to issue fresh Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the affected missions within one month.

While cancelling the tender, the court noted that “existing incumbents” may be permitted to continue providing services temporarily to prevent disruption to applicants.

However, the final decision on how passport, visa and attestation services will be managed rests with the respective Indian missions.

The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai have been approached for further clarification on the future arrangements.

Alhind Tours & Travels, which emerged as the lowest financial bidder among four shortlisted companies, was scheduled to take over outsourced consular services from July 1.

The company had already completed preparations for operations across 16 centres in the UAE, including a 12,000-square-foot facility in Bur Dubai equipped with more than 45 service counters.

The contract covered a wide range of services, including:

• Passport applications and renewals
• Visa processing support
• Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) services
• Police Clearance Certificates (PCC)
• Surrender certificates
• Global Entry Programme (GEP) verification
• Document attestation-related services
  
  

The Dispute

The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi had issued the outsourcing tender in November 2025, following which Alhind was selected based on its lowest financial bid.

However, two unsuccessful bidders challenged the process before the Delhi High Court, questioning the transparency of the evaluation mechanism. Their challenge was not against the technical assessment itself but against the manner in which the scoring and selection process was conducted.

The court ultimately ruled in favour of the petitioners and ordered the MEA to restart the tender process.

Direct Services

With previous service providers BLS International and SGIVS no longer handling operations, and Alhind unable to formally begin its contract, Indian missions in the UAE have been managing passport, visa and attestation services directly from their own premises since July 1.

This marks the first time in nearly 17 years that the missions have handled these services internally.

The missions have also warned applicants against unauthorised agents claiming to arrange appointments or expedite applications.

Officials have reiterated that appointments through the official portal are free of charge, and no third party is authorised to collect fees for securing slots. Limited walk-in facilities are available at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The development comes after India increased fees for passport renewals and other consular services earlier this year, adding to concerns among expatriates awaiting appointments and document processing.

 

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