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Twelve collection centres to cope with Gulf visa demand

DUBAI: Keen to provide high quality service, the Indian embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the consulate in Dubai have decided to establish 12 centres where applications for visas and passports can be received.

The new initiative has been taken to cope with the flood of applications that the embassy and the consulate have been receiving for visa and passport services. The arrangement is the result of a tie-up among the Indian embassy, the consulate and Empost, UAE’s leading cargo and logistics organisation.

The Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Talmiz Ahmad, who signed the agreement for the service with the Chief Executive Officer of Empost, Sultan A. Al Midfa, said that the local partner would set up all the twelve centres. The step was the result of “considerable planning and reflection and it would completely transform consular services in the country,” he observed.

The tie-up envisages setting up a call centre where trained staff, familiar with a variety of Indian languages will help applicants to fill in their forms. These forms can then be deposited at the collection centres after the applicants have been photographed digitally.

Besides, a website is being set up where online submission of applications would be possible. Details about the application status, apart from other related information would also be posted on the website.

“The arrangement on outsourcing involving Indian missions and a local partner is unprecedented in the Gulf,” the Consul General of India, Venu Rajamony, who was also present at the function, said. He added that the collection centres would operate between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on all seven days of the week. In addition to the normal passport and visa application fees, Empost will charge a service fee of 12 Dirham (around Rs. 129) for each passport service and 50 Dirham (approximately Rs. 537) for visas.

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