Indian Visa Application Center inaugurated in Seattle, VFS Global launches 2 facilities

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

As part of its expanding service network for the Government of India, VFS Global — the first outsourced visa services partner of India’s Ministry of External Affairs — has launched the Seattle Centre to manage Visa, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), passport application, renunciation of Indian citizenship and Global Entry Programme (GEP). Additionally, VFS will operate the Bellevue centre, to extend assistance for members of the Indian community.

The Seattle centre will be equipped with world-class facilities aimed at providing an easily accessible and a superior application experience for customers and will make the application process more convenient for travellers. These services are expected to benefit the nearly half a million-strong Indian diaspora community in the consular jurisdiction of the Indian Consulate in Seattle, which covers the Nine Pacific North Western States of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.

Customers can visit https://indiainseattle.gov.in/ for the latest information on the services offered.

Prakash Gupta, Consul General of India in Seattle, said, “The opening of the Indian Consulate in Seattle is a reflection of Government of India’s strong commitment to deepen our relations with Pacific North Western states of USA and through the opening of these new visa application centres (VAC) in Seattle and Bellevue, we hope to ensure for all consular applicants a more convenient experience to adequately prepare their travel to India. Providing smooth and efficient consular services is one of our top priorities and we would welcome any feedback and suggestions on further improvement from all applicants as we commence our consular operations in the Greater Seattle Area.”

In a statement, VFS global said: “These spacious facilities equipped with modern amenities and services will have well-trained customer service representatives to assist visa applicants at every step. To enhance customer experience further, India visa and consular applicants get dedicated call-centre support from 8:30AM to 5:30PM from Monday to Friday, along with an email and Web Chatbot support for quick query resolution.”

Amit Kumar Sharma, Head – Americas, VFS Global, said, “VFS Global shares a long-standing relationship with the Government of India since 2008 and we are excited to expand our partnership further. The new centre in Seattle and Bellevue, United States of America will play a crucial role in effectively catering to the growing demand for visa and consular services to India. We are confident that these visa application centres will enhance customer experience by making the visa application process even more smooth, thereby helping us serve the travellers and Indian diaspora better.”

VFS Global has been serving the Indian government since 2008. The company provides passport, visa and consular services on behalf of the Embassy and Consulates of India located across the US, since 2020. At present, VFS Global manages 52 Passport, Visa and Consular Services Application Centres for the Indian government in 13 countries: Australia, Belgium, France, Iraq, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United States of America, and the
United Kingdom.