India's Ministry of External Affairs has raised passport fees by up to 75%, effective July 1, through a gazette notification issued on June 20. The hike applies globally, including the 4.5 million Indian expats in the UAE, as confirmed by Indian Ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal. Under the new rates, a normal 36-page passport for adults will cost Rs 2,500 (up from Rs 1,500), while a 60-page passport rises to Rs 3,500 (from Rs 2,000). Tatkal fees are set at Rs 5,000 for 36 pages and Rs 6,000 for 60 pages. Replacement of lost or damaged passports sees the steepest increase, at Rs 5,000 normally and Rs 7,500 under Tatkal. In the UAE, current fees are Dh302.50 for a standard 36-page renewal (including additional charges). The fee hike comes amid a major transition in UAE consular services. Alhind Tours and Travels will formally take over passport, visa, and attestation processing from July 1, 2026, replacing BLS International and SGIVS. However, from June 26 to June 30, a five-day suspension of routine services will occur, with providers ceasing new appointments after June 25. Emergency services will remain available through the Indian Embassy and Consulate. The Indian missions in the UAE processed over 1.58 million services from January 2022 to December 2024, including 364,000 passport-related transactions in 2024 alone. The new service centres, branded as Indian Consular Application Centres (ICAC), will consolidate all services under one roof, with Alhind quoting an all-inclusive fee of Dh19 per transaction and committing to appointment slots within five working days.