The Indian embassy in the UAE has issued a fresh tender for outsourcing its passport services. This is in compliance with a Supreme Court order that mandated a retender after a lengthy legal battle.
The new Request for Proposal (RFP), numbered Abu/Cons/415/08/2026 and dated September 28, 2026, invites companies to bid for operating Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) across the UAE. The move comes just months after Alhind Tours and Travels took over as the outsourced consular service provider.
The legal battle
The dispute began when two unsuccessful bidders challenged the technical evaluation process of the original tender. In July this year, the Delhi High Court ruled in their favour and ordered a fresh retendering process. It also barred Alhind from rolling out its services, leaving Indian expats in the UAE in limbo.
During this time, the Indian missions in the UAE began offering consular services directly. The Indian government appealed to the Supreme Court, which directed the government to complete a fresh tender process within three months. It however allowed Alhind to offer its services in the interim to alleviate the issues faced by Indian expats.
Alhind has been running 16 ICACs across the UAE since July 22, 2026, offering passport, visa, and attestation services. The company charges a flat Dh19 service fee, which includes form-filling assistance, photographs, photocopies, and courier services.
The provider faced immense backlog and rush in its initial few weeks. Last week, the company announced that it had cleared the backlog and began offering Sunday pick up services for applicants. During its opening, Mohammed Haris T., chairman and founder of Alhind Tours & Travels had said that the company’s aim was to help applicants finish their applications in 30 minutes.
What the new tender means
The fresh RFP seeks 15 ICACs across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, Khor Fakkan, Kalba, and Ras Al Khaimah. The contract will run for three years, with services required to begin within 45 days of signing.
Bidders must submit their organisation profile by October 4 and written questions by October 5. The pre-bid conference is scheduled for October 8, with bids closing on October 26 at 3pm local time.
The winner will be selected on the L1 (lowest financial bid) basis through a two-tier process covering technical and financial bids. A bid security of Dh756,700 is required, though registered micro and small enterprises are exempt.
For the UAE’s Indian community, which has over 4 million expats, services continue without disruption for now. However, the operator could change if the fresh contract is awarded to a different company.
The Indian missions in the UAE handled close to 600,000 services in 2025, including nearly 400,000 passport services. Applicants are advised to use the Consular Seva in UAE portal for appointments and to check official announcements for update.
Source: Khaleej Times
