هذه معاملة جديدة في مكتب الجوازات.

Because معاملة is a feminine singular noun in Arabic, and the demonstrative must agree with it.

• هذا = this for masculine singular nouns
• هذه = this for feminine singular nouns

So:

• هذا كتاب = this is a book
• هذه معاملة = this is a procedure / transaction

Even though the noun comes after it, هذه is still matching معاملة.

In everyday Modern Standard Arabic, معاملة often means an official procedure, paperwork process, application, or administrative transaction.

So in a sentence like this, it usually does not mean a financial transaction only. It often refers to something like:

• a government procedure
• a document-related process
• an application being handled in an office

The exact English translation depends on context, but administrative procedure or application is often a good way to understand it.

Because adjectives in Arabic must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

Here, جديدة describes معاملة, and معاملة is feminine singular, so the adjective must also be feminine singular.

• معاملة جديدة = a new procedure
• كتاب جديد = a new book

The feminine ending here is the ـة in جديدة.

In Arabic, sentences in the present tense often do not use a separate word for is / am / are.

So:

• هذه معاملة جديدة literally looks like this new procedure
• but it means This is a new procedure

This is very normal in Arabic. It is called a nominal sentence.

If you wanted past tense, Arabic would use a verb, for example:

• كانت هذه معاملة جديدة = This was a new procedure

Because they are playing different roles in the sentence.

• معاملة جديدة = a new procedure → indefinite
• مكتب الجوازات = the passport office → definite

Arabic often introduces something new as indefinite, especially after a demonstrative in this kind of sentence:

• هذه معاملة جديدة = This is a new procedure

Meanwhile, مكتب الجوازات refers to a specific place, so it is definite.

في means in / at.

Then you have مكتب الجوازات, which is an iḍāfa construction, often called a possessive or noun-annexation structure:

• مكتب = office
• الجوازات = the passports

Together, مكتب الجوازات means literally office of the passports, but naturally in English it becomes the passport office.

So:

• في مكتب الجوازات = at the passport office

This is a key feature of the iḍāfa construction.

In an iḍāfa:

• the first noun usually does not take الـ
• the second noun determines whether the whole phrase is definite

So:

• مكتب الجوازات = the passport office
• literally: office of the passports

Because الجوازات is definite, the whole phrase becomes definite.

Compare:

• مكتب جوازات = a passport office / an office of passports
• مكتب الجوازات = the passport office

Because جوازات is the plural of جواز, meaning passport.

Arabic often uses a plural noun in institutional expressions where English might use a singular noun as an adjective. So:

• مكتب الجوازات literally = office of passports
• natural English = passport office

This is similar to how Arabic often says things in a more literal noun-to-noun way instead of using one noun like an English adjective.

A careful pronunciation would be roughly:

hādhihi muʿāmalatun jadīdatun fī maktabi l-jawāzāt

In normal pause pronunciation, many case endings are dropped, so you will often hear something closer to:

hādhihi muʿāmala jadīda fī مكتب il-jawāzāt

More naturally in full transliteration:

hādhihi muʿāmala jadīda fī maktab il-jawāzāt

A few notes:

• هذه is pronounced hādhihi
• ع in معاملة is the letter ʿayn, a consonant English does not have
• ة at the end of معاملة and جديدة is pronounced as -a when pausing

In fully vowelled formal Arabic, the sentence would be:

هذه معاملةٌ جديدةٌ في مكتبِ الجوازاتِ

The endings are:

• معاملةٌ = nominative, indefinite
• جديدةٌ = nominative, indefinite
• مكتبِ = genitive after في
• الجوازاتِ = genitive as the second part of the iḍāfa

However, in most real-life speech and in much written Arabic for learners, these endings are not pronounced fully. So yes, they are grammatically important, but many learners first focus on the core words and structure.

It can suggest either, depending on context, but most naturally it means something like:

• at the passport office
• in the passport office
• being dealt with at the passport office

So the phrase gives the setting or location connected to the procedure. Arabic often leaves this slightly broad, just as English sometimes does.

Yes, but the meaning or emphasis may change slightly.

The given sentence:

هذه معاملة جديدة في مكتب الجوازات

is a very natural way to say This is a new procedure at the passport office.

You could also have structures like:

• في مكتب الجوازات هذه معاملة جديدة
  = At the passport office, this is a new procedure
  This sounds more marked, with emphasis on the location.

Arabic allows some flexibility, but the original order is the most straightforward for learners.

Because the noun it describes is indefinite.

In Arabic:

• معاملة جديدة = a new procedure
• المعاملة الجديدة = the new procedure

So if the noun is indefinite, the adjective is also indefinite. If the noun is definite, the adjective must also be definite.

This agreement is very important in Arabic.