Abu Dhabi: The passport department at the consulate in Dubai on Friday has advised Indian ex-patriates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to not wait until the last minute to renew their expired passports.
Passport, education and certification consul Ramkumar Thankaraj said the renewal should be planned in advance to avoid last-minute hassles.
Applicants who do not require pre-police verification, the travel documents are delivered within a maximum of two working days, Ramkumar told Khaleej Times.
The Indian Mission in the UAE reinstated the police verification protocol for passport renewal in September 2020.
Applicants should check with the police if there is any change in address, name or details. Unchanged updates do not require police verification.
For passports that require police verification, the attestation needs to be completed by a maximum of 30 working days. He also said that in case of any urgent need for travel, the travel document will be issued to the concerned Regional Passport Office (RPO) in India.
In some emergency situations, the applicant can convert pre-police verification to post-police verification in cases that merit an exemption. Applicants can also apply for renewal via tatkal by paying an additional fee.
The government of India launched the new design features for the Indian passport in 2019; however, the missions began rolling them out in January 2021, and the old booklets are being phased out.
While the cover of the booklet remains navy blue, a ‘reverse stitching’ method has been employed to ensure the passport is more durable.