Now Reading: Indian Embassy in UAE shuts 4 consular centres from October 22
-
01
Indian Embassy in UAE shuts 4 consular centres from October 22
The Story in Brief
The Indian Embassy in the UAE has closed four consular application centres from Thursday, October 22, reducing the total number of Indian Community Application Centres (ICACs) to 12. The centres in Musaffah, Al Reem, Dubai Investment Park-1 and Sharjah Al Majaz were shut for what the embassy described as 'administrative reasons'.
The remaining 12 ICACs in Al Danah, Al Ain, Madinat Zayed, Al Dhafra, Ghayathi, Bur Dubai, Indian Association Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Kalba and Khor Fakkan continue to operate from 8 am to 6 pm. Walk-in services on a first-come, first-served basis remain available for Tatkal passport applications, newborn registrations, Emergency Certificate requests, and senior citizens aged 60 and above.
Passport service charges in the UAE were last revised on July 1, the first increase since 2012. A normal 36-page passport renewal now costs Dh450, up from Dh285, while Tatkal renewal costs Dh900. Al Hind Tours & Travels, the outsourcing partner, charges an additional Dh19 above government fees for all services including photocopy and photography.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The closure of four centres, without naming a replacement timeline, leaves applicants in Musaffah, Al Reem, Dubai Investment Park-1 and Sharjah Al Majaz with fewer nearby options. The embassy cited 'administrative reasons' without elaboration, which may signal a cost or efficiency review after the July fee revision. The walk-in policy for urgent cases softens the impact, but only for those categories. The remaining 12 centres, including the 45-counter Bur Dubai hub, will absorb the displaced demand. No date has been given for a possible further consolidation.
Source: khaleejtimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
