UAE Indian consular services to move from BLS to Alhind from July 1

Abu Dhabi: Indians in the UAE will need to use a new service provider for passport renewals, visa applications, and other consular services from July 1, after tour and travel firm Alhind Tours and Travels won a three-year contract to replace the long-standing operator BLS International.

The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi has awarded its outsourced consular services contract to Alhind Tours and Travels Private Limited, it confirmed in a public notice shared on the mission's website on Monday, April 20.  

The contract, covering services at both the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai, was awarded after Alhind submitted the lowest financial bid of Dh19 per transaction — an all-inclusive fee that the company says will cost applicants less than the current arrangement.

Other bidders included VFS Global, DU Digital and SGIVS Global.

"Even if we take your photo, it is included in that charge," Arun Radhakrishnan, Head of Operations at Alhind Group of Companies, told Gulf News. The contract covers passport renewals, visa applications, OCI cards, Police Clearance Certificates, Surrender Certificates, Global Entry Programme verification and miscellaneous attestation services.

BLS International has been handling passport, visa and OCI applications for the UAE’s 4.3 million-strong Indian community since 2011.

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What changes — and when

Alhind plans to operate from 16 locations across the UAE starting July 1, covering Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain, Dubai, including Bur Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, and Fujairah. Radhakrishnan said it was in the final stages of confirming leases for all sites.

The appointment booking process will remain broadly similar, Radhakrishnan said, but Alhind is planning to introduce online applications and further digitalise the backend. "The website will change, the process will be similar, but we are planning to digitise everything," he said. More details should be revealed shortly.

Between 250 and 350 staff are being recruited to run the new operations. “We have begun hiring people from India. Some will land next week. Calls have already started from our India team,” Radhakrishnan said.

The company is hiring for multiple roles, including 60 operations executives, 220 submission officers, 50 facilitation officers, and 30 front-desk executives.

Contested tender

Four companies competed at the financial bid stage: Alhind Tours and Travels, DU Digital Global, SGIVS Global, and VFS Global. Financial bids were opened on March 30, and the results were announced on April 20 at the Embassy, in the presence of company representatives and the Embassy’s Outsourcing Committee.

Radhakrishnan said Alhind had been attempting to win the contract for several years. "For the last two to three years we have been submitting bids," he said. "This time we gave the smallest quote, and we won."

Why BLS is out

BLS International, which first won the Indian consular services contract in 2011 and had it extended multiple times, was barred by India's Ministry of External Affairs from participating in future government tenders for two years.

In a disclosure to the National Stock Exchange of India, BLS said the debarment was issued "on account of allegations including court cases and complaints of applicants."

BLS has maintained that the debarment does not affect its existing operations elsewhere, stating it would have "no impact on the financial or operational activities" of the company.

A milestone for Alhind

Alhind's win is notable given that it is primarily known as a travel and ticketing company rather than a consular services operator.

Radhakrishnan acknowledged the scale of the transition. "We are a tours and travels company — this is a very big undertaking. It is a major milestone for us," he said. "But we have a dedicated team coming in from India, and we are fully committed to making this work for the Indian community."