The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi announced on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, that four Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) across the UAE will stop operating from October 22, while consular, passport, visa and attestation services continue uninterrupted at the remaining 12 centres.
The four centres being discontinued are located in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi (inside Capital Mall, Mohammed Bin Zayed City); Al Reem, Abu Dhabi (Wafra Square Offices); Dubai Investment Park I (Bayan DIP I); and Al Majaz, Sharjah (Bell Rashid Towers). All four are run by service provider Al Hind Tours & Travels.
The 12 centres that remain operational are spread across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Dhafra, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Kalba and Khor Fakkan, giving continued geographic coverage for the roughly 3.5 million-strong Indian community in the UAE.
In its statement, the embassy said passport renewals, visa processing, OCI services and document attestation would continue without disruption through the remaining network from October 22 onward. The restructuring appears aimed at consolidating demand into fewer, better-resourced locations rather than reducing overall service capacity.
Indian nationals who previously relied on one of the four closing centres are advised to check the embassy's official website or social media channels for the nearest open centre and current appointment slots before travelling to a service point in person. Officials have not indicated whether further consolidation of the ICAC network is planned.
The Indian community is one of the largest expatriate groups in the UAE, and changes to how consular services are delivered directly affect day-to-day access to passport and visa processing for hundreds of thousands of residents.