Pravasi Legal Cell’s UAE members welcome Delhi High Court order, as Centre gets three weeks to respond.
Dubai: Indian expats in the UAE are hopeful the Centre will reconsider the steep hike in passport fees after the Delhi High Court directed the Union government to respond within three weeks to a petition challenging the revised charges.
Members of the Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC), which filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), said the court’s direction has raised hopes among overseas Indians, particularly low-income and blue-collar workers, who they say have been hardest hit by the fee increase that took effect on July 1.
The PIL, filed by the Kerala chapter of the Pravasi Legal Cell, challenges the revised passport fee structure introduced under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026.
According to the petition, the revised fees notified by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) impose a disproportionate financial burden on overseas Indians, especially blue-collar workers. It seeks either to quash the amended fee structure or direct the government to reconsider the hike.
On July 22, the Delhi High Court heard the petition and directed the Union government to treat the PIL as a representation, examine the grievances raised, and take an appropriate decision, preferably within three weeks. The court also instructed the Centre to communicate its decision to the petitioner before the matter is disposed of.
With fewer than 10 days remaining before the court-set deadline expires, members of the Pravasi Legal Cell’s UAE chapter say they remain hopeful that the Centre will reconsider the steep increase in passport service fees.
Long campaign
TN Krishna Kumar, president of the Pravasi Legal Cell’s Dubai chapter, said the organisation has been championing the rights of overseas Indians for more than a decade.
Founded by advocate Jose Abraham, the organisation’s global president, Pravasi Legal Cell describes itself as a network of retired judges, advocates, social activists and concerned citizens committed to empowering people through the law.
“Since 2009, we have consistently taken up issues affecting Indian expatriates. Whenever the authorities failed to address genuine concerns, we approached the courts, and in many cases we received favourable verdicts,” Krishna Kumar said.
He said the organisation is now hopeful that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will review the revised passport fee structure in line with the Delhi High Court’s direction.
Workers hit hardest
“We are hopeful that the government will withdraw the current fee structure and introduce a more affordable system. Our advocates will continue to pursue the matter,” Krishna Kumar said.
According to him, the revised passport fees have hit blue-collar workers across the Gulf the hardest, as many depend on Indian missions in GCC countries for passport renewals.
“The passport renewal fee has increased from around Dh280 to about Dh450. That’s a steep hike, especially for workers,” he said.
“Many of those affected earn only around Dh800 to Dh1,000 a month. For them, this increase is a significant financial burden and simply not affordable,” he added.
Calls for revision
As first reported by, community volunteers and several expatriate organisations had called for a review of the revised passport fees, particularly for blue-collar workers and low-income families.
“For workers and low-income families, this is a substantial amount. Many are already struggling to make ends meet, and hundreds of thousands of Indian workers in the Gulf rely on renewing their passports through Indian missions here,” Krishna Kumar said.
The UAE is home to around 4.5 million Indians, according to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Awaiting Centre’s response
Prasad Sreedharan, a Pravasi Legal Cell member from Ras Al Khaimah, said the organisation approached the Delhi High Court only after repeated representations to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) failed to receive a response.
‘No response despite representations’
“We submitted two representations to the Ministry of External Affairs, but received no response. That is why we filed the PIL. The Delhi High Court took up the matter promptly and directed the government to respond within three weeks,” Sreedharan said.
He said PLC members across the Gulf are now awaiting the Ministry’s decision.
“At present, renewing a passport in the UAE costs a total of Dh477, including the service fee and Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) charge. Compared with the fees paid in India, the financial burden on overseas Indians is significantly higher. Many workers have also lost their jobs due to the regional situation, making the increase even more difficult to bear,” he said.
Sreedharan added that Pravasi Legal Cell has chapters in several countries, including the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UK and Australia, with its Delhi headquarters coordinating the legal campaign.
Sreedharan said the organisation hopes the Centre will at least reduce passport fees for workers, as sought in the petition.
“We expect the government to reduce the fee, at least for labour categories. If the response is not satisfactory, we will challenge it again before the Delhi High Court. We will continue to pursue the matter,” he said.
The organisation said it remains hopeful that the government’s review, prompted by the Delhi High Court’s direction, will lead to a more affordable passport fee structure for overseas Indians, particularly low-income and blue-collar workers.
