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For Indian residents: passport renewal, PCC and Embassy of India services in Doha
How Indians living in Qatar renew a passport (normal or Tatkal), replace a lost one, register a baby, get a PCC or attestation, and find help from the Embassy of India, ICWF and ICBF.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Where
- Embassy of India, Al Eithra Street, Onaiza (walk-in, no appointment)
- Passport and PCC submission
- Sunday to Thursday, 8:00 to 11:15 am
- Adult passport fee
- QAR 447 normal, QAR 893 Tatkal (36 pages), plus QAR 7 ICWF
- Normal processing
- Usually ready on the 6th working day
The Embassy of India in Onaiza, Doha handles passports, police clearance certificates (PCC), birth and marriage registration, attestation and welfare help for the large Indian community in Qatar. As of October 2026 there is no outsourced passport centre in Qatar: the embassy cancelled its outsourcing tender in June 2025, so you apply online on the Passport Seva portal and then walk in to the embassy, with no appointment. Fees for passports went up on 1 July 2026, and since 1 December 2025 you must upload an ICAO-style photo, your documents and signature yourself when you apply online. This guide follows the usual order: check your passport, apply online, submit and collect, then update your Qatar residency. It also covers children, lost passports, PCC, attestation, consular camps outside Doha and where to get help with work or money problems. Things handled by Qatari offices, such as moving your residency to the new passport or a Qatar police certificate, have their own guides, linked below.
Before you start
- Your current Indian passport (original) and self-attested copies of the first two and last two pages, plus any ECR/non-ECR or observation page
- Your valid Qatar ID (QID) and a copy of your residence permit; residents with a valid QID must apply in person
- A Passport Seva account and a printout of your submitted online form (Qatar-Doha mission)
- A recent ICAO-compliant photo with a white background, as a digital file for upload and a printed copy (get it taken at a studio that knows Indian passport rules)
- Proof of your new address in India, if your address has changed
- For a spouse's name or a name change: your marriage certificate (attested if issued outside India) or the court/legal documents
- For a child: the child's birth certificate and both parents' original passports and QIDs
- For a lost passport: the police report from Qatar and the Personal Particulars Form
- Cash and some spare copies; at camps, payment is cash only
Step by step
Know which office does what
Almost every Indian consular service in Qatar is done at the Embassy of India, Villa 86 and 90, Street 941, Al Eithra Street, Zone 63, Onaiza (near West Bay). There is no BLS or VFS-style outsourced centre in Qatar: the embassy cancelled its outsourcing tender on 30 June 2025. The embassy is closed on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays. Passports, PCC and visas are submitted from 8:00 to 11:15 am, and attestations, NRI certificates, NOCs and powers of attorney during the morning (the timings page says until 2:00 pm). No appointment is needed, and the embassy says you do not have to queue from 8:00 am; any time before 11:15 am is fine.
Check your passport dates and type
You can renew (the embassy calls it 're-issue') up to one year before your passport expires, and many countries need at least six months' validity to let you in, so do not leave it late. Your Qatar residency also depends on a valid passport. Decide whether you want 36 or 60 pages; frequent travellers often take 60. Check whether your passport says ECR (Emigration Check Required): for a job in Qatar, ECR holders need emigration clearance before leaving India, though workers returning to the same job after leave do not. If you now have Class 10 (matriculation) or higher, you can ask to remove ECR when you re-issue, with your certificates.
Apply online on Passport Seva
Go to the Passport Seva portal, create or log in to your account, choose the Qatar-Doha mission and the 'Re-issue of passport' service, and fill the form carefully. Since 1 December 2025, under Global Passport Seva 2.0, you must upload an ICAO-compliant photo (white background, face filling most of the frame, no glasses), your supporting documents and your signature yourself. Mistakes in the form, especially spelling of names and parents' names, are the main cause of delays, so copy them exactly from your old passport unless you are deliberately changing them. Print the completed application and keep the reference number.
Submit at the embassy
Walk in to the embassy between 8:00 and 11:15 am, Sunday to Thursday, with the printout, your original passport, copies and supporting documents. You sign the application in front of the submission officer and pay the fee plus QAR 7 for the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), which is added to each service. Keep the receipt: it shows your collection date and you need it to collect. Fees are not refunded, even if you withdraw the application.
Use Tatkal only for real emergencies
Tatkal is the urgent service for specified emergencies, such as urgent medical travel or a death in the family. It costs more (QAR 893 in total for a 36-page adult passport instead of QAR 447) and the passport is normally issued the day after you submit. Tatkal is not possible if your file has to be referred to India, for example when your police verification report is 'adverse' or 'incomplete'. If you are not in a hurry, normal service is usually ready on the 6th working day.
Register a baby and get the first passport
If your child is born in Qatar, first get the Qatari birth certificate, then register the birth at the embassy (registration QAR 69; an Indian birth certificate from the embassy is QAR 86). You can apply for the baby's first passport at the same time or later (QAR 290 for a newborn). Each child needs their own passport, and both parents' original passports are needed; it helps a lot if a parent's passport already shows the spouse's name. Minors' passports are valid for 5 years or until age 18, whichever is earlier. Then sponsor the baby's Qatar residency through the family visa process.
Read guide: Newborn in Qatar: birth certificate, passport and residence permit →Replace a lost or damaged passport
Report a lost passport to the Qatari police first and get a copy of the police report; the embassy says this is mandatory. Inform the embassy, fill the Personal Particulars Form along with the online application, and submit in person. A replacement costs more (QAR 893 for a 36-page adult passport) and takes about 10 days if your old passport was issued in Doha, or up to 45 days if it was issued elsewhere, because the embassy must check with that office. If you must travel to India before then, the embassy can issue a one-way Emergency Certificate (QAR 54).
Read guide: Lost something in Qatar? Reporting it and getting it back →Collect and update your Qatar records
Collect your new passport on the date on your receipt, between 2:00 and 4:15 pm (PCC and visas from 3:00 pm), and bring the receipt. Check every detail before you leave the counter. Your residency and QID are still linked to the old passport number, so update them straight away; airlines and immigration can refuse you if the numbers do not match. Keep the old cancelled passport, as it may hold valid visas and your travel history.
Read guide: Got a new passport? Updating it in your Qatar residence record →Get an Indian PCC from the embassy
The embassy issues a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) to Indian passport holders who need it for residence, employment, a long-term visa or immigration (not for tourist visas). Download the PCC form from the embassy website and submit it in the morning window with your original passport, copies of the first two and last two pages, proof of address if it changed, and proof of why you need it. If your passport's police report is clear, the PCC is usually issued the same day for QAR 143; otherwise the embassy contacts India and calls you when the report arrives. This is different from the Qatar police clearance issued by Qatar's Ministry of Interior.
Read guide: Police clearance certificate (good conduct) in Qatar →Attestation, power of attorney and other certificates
The embassy attests documents, affidavits, powers of attorney (POA, QAR 69), employment contracts and documents issued by Qatari authorities (QAR 35 each), and issues NRI certificates (QAR 86) and life certificates for pensioners. Indian documents such as birth or degree certificates must first be authenticated in India (by the State and the Ministry of External Affairs) before the embassy can attest them. Check with the consular section which Qatari stamps a Qatari document needs before you bring it. Marriage registration is also available (QAR 172).
Read guide: Making a power of attorney in Qatar →Know where to get help with work and welfare
The embassy's Labour and Community Welfare wing helps with unpaid wages, end-of-service disputes, deaths and repatriation; it mediates with the employer, but if that fails you still have to go to Qatar's labour dispute system. You can call the labour section on 4425 5705, the 24-hour labour helpline 5509 7295, or email labour.doha@mea.gov.in, and you can register a complaint online on the MADAD portal (madad.gov.in). For deserving cases, the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) can pay an air ticket home, emergency legal help or the return of a body. The Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF), which works under the embassy, runs help desks in Doha, Dukhan and Al Khor (4467 0060, 6 to 8 pm) and helps with medical costs, tickets and food for stranded workers.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →Use consular camps and community schemes
If you live or work far from Doha, watch for the embassy and ICBF's special consular camps, held a few times a year in places such as Al Khor, Dukhan and Mesaieed. Camps accept passport renewals, attestation and PCC applications and labour complaints, and in June 2026 the Al Khor camp ran from 9 to 11 am with form-filling help from 8 am, cash-only payment and passports delivered at the same venue two weeks later. Dates are announced on the embassy's and ICBF's social media and in the local press. ICBF also runs a low-cost group life insurance scheme for Indian residents, and the embassy holds a monthly 'Meet the Ambassador' open house where you can raise unresolved consular or labour issues.
What it costs
| Adult passport re-issue, 36 pages (normal / Tatkal total) | QAR 447 / QAR 893 |
| Adult passport re-issue, 60 pages (normal / Tatkal total) | QAR 625 / QAR 1,071 |
| Minor under 18, 36 pages (normal / Tatkal total) | QAR 322 / QAR 768 |
| Lost or damaged adult passport, 36 pages (normal) | QAR 893 |
| Newborn's first passport (normal) | QAR 290 |
| Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) | QAR 143 |
| Registration of birth / Indian birth certificate | QAR 69 / QAR 86 |
| Attestation of a document (per document) / power of attorney | QAR 35 / QAR 69 |
| ICWF contribution added to each service | QAR 7 |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Going to an agent who promises an 'outsourced' appointment: there is no outsourced passport centre in Qatar and the embassy needs no appointment.
- Queuing from early morning; the embassy accepts passport and PCC applications until 11:15 am, so you can come later.
- Uploading a home-made photo that is not ICAO-compliant, which gets the application sent back.
- Spelling a name or parent's name differently from the old passport by accident, which can trigger fresh verification and weeks of delay.
- Forgetting to update the Qatar residency and QID with the new passport number before travelling.
- Bringing only one parent's passport for a child's passport.
- Asking for Tatkal when the file needs referral to India; it will not be accepted as Tatkal.
- Assuming the embassy PCC is the same as the Qatar police clearance, or the other way round.
Questions people ask
Do I need an appointment at the Indian embassy in Doha?
No. The embassy's appointment page says all consular services are walk-in, Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 11:15 am for passports and PCC. The embassy has also asked people not to crowd the gate at 8:00 am, since any time before 11:15 am is accepted.
Is there an outsourced passport centre, like BLS or VFS in the UAE?
Not as of October 2026. The embassy tried to outsource consular services, but it cancelled the tender and contract award on 30 June 2025. Community bodies such as ICC and ICBF have in the past accepted some adult renewals as liaison counters for a small extra fee, so check with them or the embassy before going there.
How long does passport renewal take, and can I track it?
Normal re-issue is usually ready on the 6th working day after submission, and your receipt shows the date. It takes longer if your file needs police verification in India or the old passport was issued by another office. Tatkal is normally next day. If the date passes, call 4425 5777 or email cons.doha@mea.gov.in with your file number.
Can someone else submit my passport application for me?
The embassy says residents with a valid Qatar ID must apply in person, because you sign in front of the officer. For collection, bring the receipt; if someone else must collect, ask the consular section first what authorisation they accept.
My address in India changed, or I want my wife's name added. What do I need?
Both are done through a re-issue. For an address change, upload and bring proof of the new address. To add a spouse's name, bring your marriage certificate; if it was issued outside India it should be attested. A name change other than after marriage or divorce needs newspaper adverts, a notarised affidavit and a 30-day wait.
My passport has nine months left. Can I renew now?
Yes. You can re-issue up to one year before expiry, and the new passport is valid for 10 years from the date of issue for adults. Renewing early is sensible if you travel, because many countries refuse entry with less than six months left.
I got my new passport. Do I need to tell Qatar?
Yes. Your residency is still linked to the old passport number until you update it, and a mismatch can cause problems at the airport or when renewing your QID. Our guide on updating your passport in your residency explains how.
Is the Indian embassy PCC the same as a Qatar police clearance?
No. The embassy PCC confirms you have no adverse police record on your Indian passport file, for immigration or long-term visas. The Qatar 'good conduct' certificate comes from Qatar's Ministry of Interior and covers your time in Qatar. Many countries ask for both.
Official sources
- Embassy of India Doha: passport information ↗
- Embassy of India Doha: passport and consular fees ↗
- Embassy of India Doha: consular timings ↗
- Embassy of India Doha: Police Clearance Certificate ↗
- Embassy of India Doha: labour and community welfare ↗
- Qatar Tribune: Embassy and ICBF consular camp in Al Khor (June 2026) ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.