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An official from the Indian Consulate General in Dubai said that Indian passport holders in the UAE have been advised not to wait until the last minute to renew their expired passports.
“We can renew up to one year before the passport expires. Many people will wait until the travel document expires before renewing their travel documents. It is recommended that they plan the renewal in advance to avoid last-minute troubles,” said Ramkumar, Consul for Passports, Education and Certification. Thangaraj says Khaliji Times.
Will police verification cause a delay in passport renewal?
Thangaraj said that the delegation has been working hard to ensure that travel documents are delivered to applicants who do not require pre-police verification within two working days.
The Indian Mission in the UAE resumed the police verification agreement for passport renewal in September 2020.
Thangaraj said: “If the address, name or any other details change, the applicant needs to be verified by the police.”
The diplomat explained that renewals with no changes in details belong to the category of no police verification.
“Once the application is submitted to the BLS, we will process and issue the passport within two working days. Sometimes, for passports from places like Fujairah and RAK, proximity may be an issue,” he said.
“We are doing our best to provide our services as quickly as possible. We have no suspense here. Once the application is approved, we will process it and send it out,” he said.
For passports that require police verification, the verification needs to be completed within 30 working days at most.
“This is a very small category of applicants. If people want to travel urgently, we will contact the relevant Regional Passport Office (RPO) in India and issue travel documents,” Thangaraj said.
In some emergency situations, the applicant can convert the pre-alert verification to the post-alert verification, in which case it should be exempted. Applicants can also apply for renewal through Tatkal by paying additional fees.
In this case, once the passport is issued, the police will verify it. If there is a pending criminal case against the applicant, a “show-cause” notice will be issued. “Only if the applicant cannot provide a valid explanation, we have the right to continue to seize the passport,” he said.
Indian expatriates in Dubai get new design passports
Thangaraj also confirmed that the mission has been rolling out passports with enhanced design and security features.
The Indian government introduced the new design features of the Indian passport in 2019; however, the mission began rolling out these booklets in January 2021 and is phasing out old booklets.
“The large passports used by frequent travelers will still have the old design,” Thangaraj said.
The consul stated that the Indian e-passport with embedded microchip has not yet made its debut in the UAE.
Former Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar revealed the details of the new design features of the Indian passport for the first time in 2019. He said the enhanced design and security features of the passport are aimed at identifying fake passports.
Kumar once said: “The national symbols of India, including the lotus and the peacock, will be stamped on the page. In addition to these two symbols, other national symbols will be used alternately and randomly. The national symbol used in the passport will be the same as that of India. closely related.”
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Although the cover of the booklet is still navy blue, the “reverse stitching” method is used to ensure that the passport is more durable.
“Passports have several enhanced designs and security features. Counterfeiters cannot easily copy the texture of the page,” Thangaraj said.
Danusha Gukulan
Dhanusha Gokulan is from India and has been working as a journalist for more than ten years. For Khaleej Times, she reports on NRI affairs, civil aviation and immigration issues. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism, economics and English literature from Mangalore University in 2008, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in contemporary media leadership and innovation at the American University in Dubai. In her spare time, she gets involved in singing/song writing, loves food, and is the mother of an over-enthusiastic Labrador Retriever. On her Twitter @shootsprintrite.
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