India Hikes Passport Fees in UAE by Up to 75%, Effective July 1
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Indian citizens living in the UAE will now have to pay significantly more for passport-related services. The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai have confirmed that revised passport fees came into effect from July 1.
This change is not unique to the UAE. It stems from a gazette notification issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs on June 20, which raised passport fees by as much as 75 percent across all Indian missions worldwide. In the UAE specifically, the increase works out to about 70 percent.
The new rates apply uniformly across the Embassy, the Consulate, and the Indian Consular Application Centres that handle passport paperwork for Indians in the UAE. This means no matter which office a person visits, the higher fees will apply equally.
For a standard 36-page adult passport, the cost for a fresh application or reissue has risen from Dh285 to Dh450. A 60-page passport now costs Dh630, up from Dh380. These are the normal, non-urgent processing fees.
For those who need their passport faster through the Tatkal scheme, fees have also gone up, though by a smaller margin. A 36-page passport under Tatkal now costs Dh900, compared to Dh855 earlier, while a 60-page passport costs Dh1,080, up from Dh950.
People applying for a replacement passport because theirs was lost or damaged face the steepest charges. A replacement 36-page passport costs Dh900 under normal processing and Dh1,350 under Tatkal. For a 60-page replacement, the fees are Dh1,080 normally and Dh1,530 under Tatkal.
Other passport-linked services, such as police clearance certificates, surrender certificates, and verification needed for global entry programs, will now cost Dh145 each.
With nearly 4.5 million Indians residing in the UAE, the fee hike has wide financial implications for the diaspora, many of whom rely on these consular services for travel, employment, and identity verification purposes.
Why it matters
This fee hike directly affects one of the largest overseas Indian communities in the world, making routine processes like renewing or replacing a passport noticeably more expensive. Because passports are essential for travel, employment, and legal residency abroad, a sharp cost increase can strain household budgets for migrant workers and families. The move also reflects a broader global policy shift by the Indian government to revise passport fees uniformly across all countries, signaling a larger financial recalibration of consular services that could affect millions of Indians living abroad, not just in the UAE.
Test yourself
1. From which date did the revised Indian passport fees take effect in the UAE?
2. Which government body issued the gazette notification raising passport fees worldwide?
3. By how much did passport fees rise worldwide under the new rules, at most?
4. By what percentage did passport fees increase specifically in the UAE?
5. What was the new normal fee for a fresh or reissued 36-page adult passport in the UAE?
6. What is the new Tatkal fee for a 60-page passport in the UAE?
7. What is the new fee for replacing a lost or damaged 36-page passport under Tatkal?
8. How many Indians living in the UAE are affected by this fee hike, approximately?
9. What is the new flat fee for services like police clearance certificates and surrender certificates?
10. Where do the revised passport fee rates apply uniformly?
Your notes
Source: The Indian Express