Passport renewal woes for Nepalis in UAE

Muna Adhikari from Jhapa, currently residing in Dubai, is facing challenges with the renewal of her passport, which expires on Feb 5. She has been trying to fill out the application form online for over a month but without success. As a result, she had to hand over her passport to a typing center, paying 50 dirhams (Rs 1,850).  

However, even after two weeks, the typing center has been delaying the process with excuses. “Since the online system is unpredictable—sometimes available, sometimes not—I had no choice but to rely on the typing center to fill out the form,” said Adhikari, a university graduate. “The form hasn’t been submitted yet. There’s no clarity on when I’ll be called for the photo session or when the new passport will be issued.”  

Jeevan Shahi, originally from Surkhet and currently working in Fujairah, managed to renew his passport through a Dubai-based typing center by paying 375 dirhams. Although the renewal fee for a 34-page passport is 200 dirhams, he had to pay an additional 175 dirhams for service charges and courier fees. “Traveling back and forth incurs high transportation costs, so we’re forced to pay whatever the agents demand,” Shahi told ApEx. Many Nepali workers in the UAE are struggling with passport renewal issues.  

The Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi has claimed that it is prioritizing passport renewal services for workers. On Jan 5, the embassy organized a mobile camp 300 kilometers away from Abu Dhabi, where 335 passports were renewed, and 550 people received assistance with labor renewals, remittance, and other awareness programs.  

The embassy currently renews passports for only 200 applicants per day under a quota system. As a result, thousands of workers’ passports remain stuck at typing centers, awaiting online submission. Previously, the embassy used to renew over 350 passports daily. In a statement, the embassy mentioned prioritizing applicants with expired passports, expired visas, or those who lost their documents. However, workers continue to complain that the services are not worker-friendly.  

Mandira Basnet from Bhojpur, who lives in Abu Dhabi, alleged that she experienced harassment by embassy staff. She has requested that her grievances be reported to the embassy. Similarly, Suman Singh from Bara shared his experience of rude behavior from embassy employees.  

Til Bahadur Sunar, the Second Secretary at the Nepali Embassy, acknowledged the difficulty of providing seamless services due to a shortage of staff. He claimed that the embassy is currently operating at full capacity with its available manpower. He added that with the addition of two more staff members, the embassy could offer much smoother services.  

Ranjita Dahal, the Deputy Chief of Mission, stated that the embassy is making efforts to streamline the passport renewal process. However, she defended the current quota system as appropriate. Beyond mobile camps, there seems to be no concrete plan from the embassy to address the widespread difficulties faced by workers in renewing their passports.  

Bikas Shahi, President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) UAE, stressed the urgent need to resolve the passport renewal issues. He pointed out that most workers cannot fill out the forms themselves and expressed readiness to assist the embassy in simplifying the form-filling process.