Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates awoke on 28 October to a completely redesigned passport application experience. The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate-General in Dubai have gone live with Global Passport Seva Programme (GPSP) 2.0, a cloud-based upgrade that will from today issue only chip-embedded e-passports to all applicants. Embedded in the poly-carbonate data page is an ICAO-compliant micro-controller that stores the holder’s biographic and biometric information in encrypted form, enabling rapid e-gates clearance and tougher anti-tampering safeguards.
For NRIs, the most immediate benefit is speed. Applicants can now upload photographs, signatures and supporting documents directly to the PSP portal and make minor corrections online. Consular officials say this will cut average counter time by 40 %, while BLS service centres—which continue to handle biometric capture—expect shorter queues during the festive travel rush. Authorities emphasise that the e-passport conforms to global MRTD standards, meaning carriers and immigration authorities worldwide can read the chip without additional middleware.
The launch is a milestone in India’s wider passport modernisation drive that began with pilot issuances inside India in 2023. Roll-out to high-volume Gulf missions was prioritised because nearly 3.5 million Indian residents in the UAE renew passports every five years on average; officials estimate GPSP 2.0 will handle one million UAE applications in its first 12 months. The system is hosted in an Indian government cloud and integrates with INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Document (SLTD) database in real time, enhancing security screening.
For employers managing assignments in the Gulf, the change eliminates the need for multiple photocopies and wet signatures, hastening onboarding and residency visa stamping. Travellers should, however, budget extra time at airports during the first week as airlines update DCS readers. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that existing booklets remain valid until expiry; holders may upgrade voluntarily by paying the standard renewal fee.
For NRIs, the most immediate benefit is speed. Applicants can now upload photographs, signatures and supporting documents directly to the PSP portal and make minor corrections online. Consular officials say this will cut average counter time by 40 %, while BLS service centres—which continue to handle biometric capture—expect shorter queues during the festive travel rush. Authorities emphasise that the e-passport conforms to global MRTD standards, meaning carriers and immigration authorities worldwide can read the chip without additional middleware.
The launch is a milestone in India’s wider passport modernisation drive that began with pilot issuances inside India in 2023. Roll-out to high-volume Gulf missions was prioritised because nearly 3.5 million Indian residents in the UAE renew passports every five years on average; officials estimate GPSP 2.0 will handle one million UAE applications in its first 12 months. The system is hosted in an Indian government cloud and integrates with INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Document (SLTD) database in real time, enhancing security screening.
For employers managing assignments in the Gulf, the change eliminates the need for multiple photocopies and wet signatures, hastening onboarding and residency visa stamping. Travellers should, however, budget extra time at airports during the first week as airlines update DCS readers. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that existing booklets remain valid until expiry; holders may upgrade voluntarily by paying the standard renewal fee.
