India
And India’s population in UAE is …
India’s foreign minister has revealed the latest statistics, showing a marked influx into the UAE in recent months.
The number of Indians living in the UAE has crossed 3.5 million, with more than 130,000 making the move since the end of last year, new figures show.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, announced the latest migration numbers at a session of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the country’s parliament, on Saturday.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai lights up with the Indian flag on the occasion of the latter’s Republic Day celebrations in January. Courtesy Emaar
He revealed 3.554 million Indians reside in the Emirates, up from 3.419 million at the end of 2022. He said the UAE remained the most popular destination for Indian citizens seeking work overseas.
The Gulf region continues to attract an influx of Indian talent, with a total of 7.93 million living in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman alone.
The Indian government has established Overseas Indian Help Centres in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuala Lumpur to help meet the needs of an increasingly mobile workforce, he said in remarks carried by state news agency Wam on Sunday.
India prepares to mark its 77th Independence Day on Tuesday as it has evolved into a 1.4 billion-strong nation among the third world countries. The majority of the remittance by non-resident Indians come from those living in the Gulf countries.
The visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United Arab Emirates in July served as another proof of the strong ties that unite the two nations.
Since taking power in 2014, Mr Modi has travelled to the UAE five times. The esteemed Indian Institute of Technology, or IIT, will start offering classes in Abu Dhabi in 2019, the nation’s envoy to the UAE announced in February.
The long-awaited Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will finally be completed in February after four years of meticulous work by artisans in India and the UAE.
The site, which spans 5.4 hectares, was donated to the Indian community in 2015 by President Sheikh Mohamed, who was then Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince.
Indian travellers planning a holiday in Abu Dhabi can now have the cost of their UAE entry visa covered under a new tourism initiative.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched a limited-time programme for eligible Indian passport holders who book qualifying Abu Dhabi holiday packages through participating travel companies and online travel agencies.
The offer is available until October 31, 2026, during an initial pilot that will support up to 20,000 visas.
However, the offer comes with specific booking requirements. Travellers must book a package that includes both a return flight from India and at least three consecutive nights at an Abu Dhabi hotel.
Who is eligible for the free UAE visa offer?
The programme is aimed at Indian passport holders travelling from India to Abu Dhabi.
To qualify, travellers must book through a participating travel partner or online travel agency. The holiday package must include:
- A minimum three-night stay at an Abu Dhabi hotel
- A return flight from India
- Booking through an eligible participating travel partner or OTA
The visa benefit cannot be claimed through an independent application. It is tied to qualifying holiday bookings made through the programme’s participating partners.
When is the Abu Dhabi free visa offer available?
The initiative runs from:
August 1 to October 31, 2026
DCT Abu Dhabi says the pilot programme will initially support up to 20,000 visas.
For eligible bookings, the tourism authority will cover the full cost of the UAE entry visa, potentially reducing the upfront expense for Indian visitors planning a trip to the emirate.
How does the visa fee waiver work?
Travel partners participating in the scheme have two ways to process the visa arrangements.
One option is to work with a DCT-appointed destination management company (DMC). In this case, DCT Abu Dhabi will pay the visa costs directly.
Travel companies can also use their existing DMC partners. Under this arrangement, DCT Abu Dhabi will reimburse Dh285 for each visa issued under the programme.
For travellers, the key point is that the benefit is handled through the participating travel partner rather than by applying for reimbursement independently.
Why is Abu Dhabi targeting Indian travellers?
India continues to be an important international source market for Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector.
According to DCT Abu Dhabi, the new programme is part of wider efforts to make the destination more accessible to Indian visitors while strengthening relationships with travel companies and improving connectivity between India and Abu Dhabi.
The initiative also aims to encourage visitors to spend more time in the emirate exploring its hotels, cultural attractions, entertainment options and natural landscapes.
Is the UAE visa completely free for all Indian tourists?
No.
The offer does not mean that every Indian passport holder automatically receives a free UAE tourist visa.
The visa fee is covered only when travellers meet the programme’s conditions and book through a participating travel partner or online travel agency.
The booking must include at least three consecutive hotel nights in Abu Dhabi and a return flight from India.
Travellers should therefore check with their chosen travel provider before booking to confirm that the package and visa arrangement qualify for the offer.
Abu Dhabi holiday offer:
Who: Eligible Indian passport holders travelling from India
Destination: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Offer period: August 1–October 31, 2026
Hotel requirement: Minimum three consecutive nights
Flight requirement: Return flight from India
Booking requirement: Participating travel partner or OTA
Visa cost: Covered by DCT Abu Dhabi for eligible bookings
Pilot capacity: Up to 20,000 visas
Independent applications: Not eligible for the programme
For Indian travellers already considering an Abu Dhabi getaway, the initiative could make an eligible holiday package more affordable, but checking the participating travel provider and meeting all the booking conditions will be essential.
If you’re planning to renew your Indian passport in the UAE, you may have noticed longer waiting times over the past few weeks. That’s because passport and consular services have moved to a new outsourcing partner, and the Indian Consulate in Dubai says it’s now working to clear the backlog as quickly as possible.
The new Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs), operated by Alhind Tours and Travels, have replaced the previous service provider and are now handling passport renewals and other consular services across the UAE.
Why are there delays?
According to the Consulate General of India in Dubai, the transition between service providers created a temporary backlog, leading to heavy demand at ICAC centres across the country.
Newly appointed Consul General Dr E. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said some initial ‘teething problems’ were expected but added that clearing pending applications, particularly Tatkal (fast-track) requests, is now a top priority.
The Consulate and the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi together provide consular services to nearly four million Indians living in the UAE.
Who can walk in without an appointment?
To help those with urgent travel needs, the new centres are accepting walk-in applications for genuine emergency cases.
These include:
- Tatkal passport applications with proof of urgent travel
- Newborn passport applications
- Senior citizens
- Emergency Certificate applications
Applicants must carry documents supporting their request, such as a confirmed flight ticket for travel within the next two or three days.
Only official appointments permitted
The Consulate has also warned applicants not to use unofficial agents offering paid appointment bookings.
Officials said appointments should only be made through the official portal, adding that Alhind’s Dh19 service fee already includes services such as form filling and photography. Applicants should not be paying additional charges for these services.
The Consulate says it is working closely with the new operator to reduce waiting times and improve the overall experience. More digital services are also being introduced to simplify the application process and reduce the need for intermediaries.
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