“People attempting advance booking for appointments at the agency receive the response that slots are unavailable. But, plenty of slots are available in the premium lounge, which has high fees. We suspect that the agency has reduced the number of ordinary slots to earn more income from the premium lounge.”
— Advocate Fareed, Chairman of the Global Pravasi Union
Obtaining a fresh passport and renewing it has become a difficult and costly affair for non-resident Indian citizens in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reported onmanorama.com. According to them, slots are not available when they try to book appointments in advance to avail of these services.
Ironically, when they apply for the premium lounge facility which carries higher fees, slots are allotted. Complaints in this regard have witnessed a spurt recently.
The Indian government has assigned BLS International to provide passport-related services in the UAE. “People attempting advance booking for appointments at the agency receive the response that slots are unavailable. But, plenty of slots are available in the premium lounge, which has high fees. We suspect that the agency has reduced the number of ordinary slots to earn more income from the premium lounge,” said Advocate Fareed, chairman of the Global Pravasi Union, an association of expatriates.
In India, the fee to apply for a fresh passport is Rs 3,000 and for renewal Rs 1,800. In contrast, in the UAE, the fee for a fresh passport is AED 615 and for renewal AED 415. When ordinary slots are not available at these rates, Indians in the UAE are compelled to book the premium service by paying an additional AED 225.
“Such an arrangement is causing much hardship to Indian citizens having low income in the UAE. Already, the fee for passport services abroad is five times that in India. Most NRIs cannot afford the additional charges for premium services,” said Fareed.
The service charge alone at the premium lounge, which was opened in 2012, is UAE dirhams (AED) 225 (1 AED = Rs 22.66). Also, an applicant has to pay AED 105 to attest each document.
In India, the fee to apply for a fresh passport is Rs 3,000 and for renewal Rs 1,800. In contrast, in the UAE, the fee for a fresh passport is AED 615 and for renewal AED 415. When ordinary slots are not available at these rates, Indians in the UAE are compelled to book the premium service by paying an additional AED 225.
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