By Reena Bhardwaj

Washington DC [US], August 2 (ANI): The new Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) are located in Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edison, Orlando, Raleigh, and San Jose, bringing the total number to 16 nationwide. A 17th centre is planned to open in Los Angeles later this month.

The expansion, announced jointly by the Indian Mission and VFS Global, aims to make essential services more accessible to Indian Americans and other applicants seeking India-related documentation.

The centres will handle a comprehensive range of services, including India visa applications, overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) applications, Indian passport services, renunciation of Indian citizenship, police clearance certificates, Global Entry Programme applications and Document attestation services.

To improve accessibility, the new centres will operate on Saturdays and include return courier services in standard fees. Additional services such as photographs, photocopies, and form assistance will be provided at no extra charge.

'We are very happy to announce the opening of 8 new Indian Consular Application Centres,' said Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India's Ambassador to the United States. 'We firmly believe that people-to-people ties are the heart of India-US partnership.'

The centres are expected to benefit Indian communities under the jurisdiction of Indian consulates in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC.

VFS Global, which has been the exclusive service provider for Indian consular services in the US since 2020, says the expansion responds to growing demand driven by increased business partnerships, tourism and trade between the two countries.

Amit Kumar Sharma, Head - North America & Caribbean, VFS Global, said, 'We are honoured by the continued trust the Government of India has placed in VFS Global to support its diplomatic mission in the United States. These ICACs will play a crucial role in effectively catering to the growing demand for visa and consular services to India, led by business partnerships, tourism and trade.'

VFS Global operates as the world's largest outsourced visa services company, managing over 3,900 application centres across 165 countries for 69 client governments. The company, headquartered in Zurich and Dubai, has processed more than 499 million applications since 2001.

The expansion reflects the growing importance of India-US relations and the increasing need for streamlined consular services as travel and business ties between the two nations continue to strengthen. (ANI)