Indianos who live in Emirados Árabes Unidos will need to use Alhind Tours and Travels to renew their passport, apply for a visa and access other consular services from July 1st. The move replaces BLS International, which had handled the contract since 2011. Embaixada of Índia in Abu Dhabi confirmed the decision after opening bidding.
Alhind won with the lowest financial proposal of Dh19 per transaction, which includes all costs. The company plans to operate in 16 points across the country.
Alhind wins bid with cheapest proposal
Quatro companies participated in the financial stage of the open tender in November 2025. Além from Alhind, VFS Global, DU Digital and SGIVS Global competed. The envelopes were opened on March 30th. The result was released on April 20 in the presence of company representatives and the embassy’s outsourcing committee.
Alhind submitted the lowest bid. Arun Radhakrishnan, the group’s head of operations, said the company had been trying to win the contract for two or three years. Ele highlighted that Dh19 covers photo, printing and all ancillary services. The fee should be cheaper for the end user than the previous model.
- Passaporte new or renewal
- Indian Vistos
- Cartão OCI
- Certificado police
- Certificado resigning
- Verificação to Global Entry Programme
- Atestações miscellaneous
16 service centers across the country
Alhind will install points on Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Fujairah. The company is still finalizing space rental contracts. Scheduling should follow a model similar to the current one, but with a new website and greater digitalization of the process.
The company hires between 250 and 350 employees. Desses, 220 will be submission officers, 60 operations executives, 50 facilitation officers and 30 counter officers. Team Parte arrives from Índia in the coming weeks.
BLS leaves service after 15 years
BLS International has operated consular services for the Indian community in Emirados since 2011. The country is home to around 4.3 million Indians. The company was prevented from participating in new Indian government tenders for two years. Ministério of Relações Exteriores of Índia cited complaints and lawsuits.
BLS informed the market that the impediment does not affect other operations. The company continues to operate in other countries.
Transição starts in July with a focus on the community
Alhind is mainly known for tourism and ticket services. Radhakrishnan recognized the size of the challenge. Ele guaranteed that the dedicated team will guarantee continuity of services. The company promises more details about the new website and the booking flow soon.
Services will continue to be concentrated on Embaixada from Índia to Abu Dhabi and Consulado-Geral to Dubai. Nenhum additional deadline was announced beyond July 1, conditional on operational preparation.