The Indian passport services delay in the UAE has escalated to India's Supreme Court, which has now directed the Delhi High Court to hear the matter urgently. According to latest reports, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi High Court to hear the matter urgently after the failed bidders approached the apex court, arguing that allowing the handover to proceed before court examination would create 'irreversible' consequences. The Supreme Court's intervention came after the High Court judge recused himself from the case, leading to the formation of a special bench of judges to hear the case. The failed bidders warn that once the takeover is completed and applications processing begins, 'contractual rights would crystallise' and 'third-party equities would arise,' making it difficult to undo the decision even if the court later finds the tender process was flawed. The Delhi High Court is expected to hear the case soon, with the outcome potentially determining whether the rollout proceeds as planned, faces further delays, or requires re-evaluation.
The Indian mission has begun limited walk-in passport, visa and attestation services as a Delhi High Court case over the new outsourcing contract remains pending. According to reports from NDTV Profit and Gulf News, numerous foreigners are in limbo as a result of the delay in the introduction of Indian consular services in the United Arab Emirates due to a legal dispute. The case pits two unsuccessful bidders against the Indian government's choice to award the contract for consular services in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Australia. The failed bidders approached the Supreme Court, arguing that allowing the handover to go ahead before the court examines the evaluation records would create 'irreversible' consequences. Once the takeover is done and applications processing begins, the company warns, 'contractual rights would crystallise' and 'third-party equities would arise,' making it difficult to undo the decision even if the court later finds the tender process was flawed.
The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi declared earlier this year that it will take over for BLS, which has been in charge of passport, visa, and consular services for more than ten years. As reported by NDTV Profit and Gulf News, Alhind Tours & Travels won the new contract following a competitive bidding process in November 2025, with the company being selected since its bid was the least expensive out of four shortlisted companies. However, the Indian embassy in the UAE has postponed the handover, which was initially planned for July 1, claiming 'administrative reasons' and citing 'irreversible consequences' if the transition proceeds before court examination. The transition was originally scheduled for July 1, but the new provider could proceed with taking over operations even while the legal challenge remained unresolved, as the Delhi High Court adjourned the matter to July 2 without stopping the transition on June 5. With the old contracts gone, BLS and SGIVS have shut their doors to applicants, leaving the Indian missions without an outsourced partner for the time being.
Two unsuccessful bidders have jointly challenged the bidding procedure and ruling in court, claiming they were eliminated 'without assigning any reasons'. According to NDTV Profit and Gulf News, E Trav Tech and Verasys contested how the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi evaluated technical qualification criteria under the terms of the Request for Proposal (RFP) floated for the UAE contract. The companies wanted a detailed breakup of marks awarded during the technical evaluation, along with the reasoning behind their disqualification, saying this had never been communicated to them. The Delhi High Court broadly backed the government's discretion in tender evaluation and turned down the demand for a detailed score breakup at that stage, but agreed that disqualified bidders are entitled to reasons for their rejection. The case had already gone through India's Delhi High Court, with the High Court adjourning the matter to July 2 after clubbing all connected petitions together for priority hearing on July 1. On June 24, the Supreme Court declined to rule on the merits but ordered status quo, directing that neither side alter the existing position while the dispute remained unresolved.
The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India (CGI) in Dubai began temporary deployment of Indian passport renewals and other services in the UAE on Thursday. As reported by NDTV Profit and Gulf News, the mission announced on Wednesday evening that it would begin offering consular services 'in a limited manner' from July 2, with the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai running passport, visa, attestation and other consular services directly from their own premises. The services are being offered strictly on a walk-in, first-come-first-served basis between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., with applicants required to bring completed forms and full documentation. Only the applicant is allowed inside, barring parents accompanying minors, and fees are accepted in cash only at the revised rates that took effect from July 1. The missions have described the in-house arrangement as temporary and said that further updates regarding the migration to the new service provider, Alhind Tours and Travel LLC, will be communicated in due course.
The uncertainty is far from over for many foreigners who are waiting to renew their passports, seek visas, or get credentials for their kids' college applications. According to NDTV Profit and Gulf News, the case is anticipated to be heard by the Delhi High Court shortly, with the implementation of consular services potentially going on as scheduled, being postponed further, or even being sent back for reassessment depending on the court's decision. The failed bidders warn that the legal challenge would become 'substantially infructuous' once the takeover is completed, making it difficult to undo the decision even if the court later finds the tender process was flawed. For scores of expats waiting to renew passports, apply for visas, or obtain certificates for their children's college admissions, the uncertainty is far from over, with the outcome of the Delhi High Court proceedings likely to determine the future of Indian consular services in the UAE. The missions handle a substantial volume of consular work, having processed over 1.58 million services and transactions between January 2022 and December 2024, equivalent to roughly 1,760 transactions every working day.
