Indian consulate in Seattle opens new visa centres

Washington: India has launched two new visa and passport centres in Seattle city of Washington state of the US, catering to the needs of the Indian community living in nine Pacific Northwestern states of this country. The two centres in Seattle and Bellevue -- both in the Washington State -- inaugurated on Friday, come months soon after the opening of the newest Indian Consulate in Seattle.

The other five existing Indian consulates are in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco. “The opening of the Indian Consulate in Seattle is a reflection of the Indian government's strong commitment to deepen our relations with Pacific Northwestern states of USA,” Prakash Gupta, Consul General of India in Seattle, said at the opening ceremony. The centre is being run and managed by VFS Global on behalf of the Indian Government. VFS Global is the exclusive service provider for visa, OCI, passport, renunciation of Indian citizenship, and Global Entry Programme (GEP) verification services for the Indian government in the US. “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,” Gupta said.

According to a statement, the Seattle centre will be equipped with world-class facilities aimed at providing an easily accessible and superior application experience for customers and will make the application process more convenient for travellers.

These services are expected to benefit the nearly half million-strong Indian diaspora community in the consular jurisdiction of the Indian Consulate in Seattle, which covers the Nine Pacific Northwestern States of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. “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,” Gupta said.