The Indian government has announced a significant hike in passport service fees for UAE-based applicants, with the new structure set to take effect from July 1, 2026, the Consulate General of India in Dubai confirmed on Tuesday.
The revised fees will apply uniformly across the Consulate General of India in Abu Dhabi, the Consulate General of India in Dubai, and all Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) operated by the outsourced service provider across the UAE.
Under the new structure, ordinary fresh or reissue applications for a 36-page passport will cost Dh450 in the normal category — a 60 per cent hike from the previous Dh285 that it costed earlier — and Dh900 under the Tatkaal (expedited) scheme. For a 60-page passport, the fees will be Dh630 for a normal renewal and Dh1,080 for Tatkaal.
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Applicants applying for a passport in lieu of a lost or damaged document will face steeper charges: Dh 900 for a 36-page passport and Dh1,080 for a 60-page version under normal processing. The Tatkaal rates for lost passports will be Dh1,350 and Dh 1,530, respectively.
The announcement of the UAE-specific rates comes after the Indian government announced a hike in passport prices last week. The fee revision comes as part of a broader government initiative to standardise passport service charges across Indian missions worldwide. The fee hikes come 14 years after such a change was last made in 2012.
Changes for minor applicants
For minors below 18 years of age, a fresh or reissued 36-page passport will cost Dh325 for a normal passport service — an almost 70 per cent increase from the previous Dh190 — and Dh775 as Tatkaal. In cases of lost or damaged passports for minors, the fee will be Dh775 for normal and Dh1,225 as Tatkaal.
A 10 per cent discount has been introduced for fresh passport applications for children up to the age of 8 years — bringing the normal fee to Dh295 and Tatkaal to Dh700. However, this discount will not apply to re-issue cases.
Miscellaneous services such as Police Clearance Certificates, Surrender Certificates, and Global Entry Program verifications will now cost Dh145, up from Dh95.
Emergency Certificates will be issued at Dh60, while Certificate of Identity documents will cost Dh180. Neither of these services is available under the Tatkaal scheme.
The new notification also clarifies that passports issued to applicants aged 18 and above will have a maximum validity of 10 years, while those for minors will be valid for five years or until the applicant turns 18, whichever comes first.
Additional charges
The revised rates do not include service fees charged by the outsourced service provider or the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) levy, both of which will be added separately where applicable.
The fee revision comes as part of a broader government initiative to standardise passport service charges across Indian missions worldwide.
The changes come as the outsourced provider for Indian consular services comes into effect on July 1. Earlier it was announced that Alhind Tours and Travels LLC will become the provider for passport, visa, and consular applications across the UAE.
Source: Khaleej Times