Indian expats in Dubai can now get 'tatkal passport' on the same day

Indian expats in Dubai and northern Emirates will now be able to get passports issued on the same day under the 'tatkal' category.

Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul on Thursday announced that the Indian Consulate in Dubai will start issuing tatkal passports (issued in emergency cases) on the same day, the Gulf News reported.

Vipul, speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations at the consulate, said the same day issuance service for tatkal passports can be availed only if the application is submitted before noon at the office of BLS International, the outsourced service provider for Indian passport and visa applications, in Al Khaleej Centre in Bur Dubai.

We already issue tatkal passports in 24hours. We are going one step beyond that. We are going to issue tatkal passport on the same day if it is applied for before 12 noon. By evening, we can issue the tatkal passport," he said.

The initiative is expected to benefit those requiring emergency issuance of passports, including those rushing back from the airports after realising that their passport had either expired or do not have enough validity for their travel, said Consul (Passport) Prem Chand.

The fast delivery of regular passports has contributed to reducing the number of tatkal applications from 40 a day to between 15 and 20, said Chand.

The mission receives about 850 passport applications daily.

Last year, the consulate issued more than 200,000 passports, over 2500 emergency certificates (one-way travel document), over 2,800 police clearance certificates and provided 72,000 attestation services including registration of births and deaths, Vipul said.