Legal expertise UAE
Legal expertise UAE
The Apex court has permitted the Indian missions in the UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra to temporarily engage the service providers whose contracts were previously set aside
Mon 20 Jul 2026
n a move that might ease passport renewal delays and other consular services for Indian expats, the Supreme Court of India has permitted the Indian missions in the UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra to temporarily engage the service providers whose contracts were previously set aside.
This means the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai now have the option to direct Alhind Tours and Travels to begin offering consular services in the UAE, should they wish to do so, until a fresh tender process is completed.
The directive by the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Union Government’s challenge to a Delhi High Court judgment that had quashed the tender process for outsourcing Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) services at four Indian missions.
However, recognising the need to avoid disruption in passport and visa services for millions of Indians, the Supreme Court modified the High Court’s directions to permit interim arrangements.
The court directed that the Ministry of External Affairs may engage the existing L-1 contractors (Alhind Tours and Travels in the UAE) if their performance has been satisfactory, or appoint any other agency considered appropriate for the interim period. It clarified that such an arrangement would be purely temporary and would not create any special equities in favour of any party.
