The Indian Embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday announced outsourcing of passport, visa and other consular services starting from Wednesday in Riyadh and March 1 in Dammam. Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farooq inaugurated the Visa Application Center in Sulaimanya District here on Tuesday. The Indian Embassy awarded the outsourcing contract to VFS Global, which is said to have vast experience in the field and which also won a similar contract from the British Embassy in Riyadh recently. VFS Global has also opened its office in downtown Batha, which is a meeting point for a large number of Indians living in the city's suburbs. The Visa Application Center in Sulaimanya is located at Office No. 2207, Second Floor, Al-Safwah Center-Gate 2 while its office in Batha is at No. 305, Al-Yamama Building. The working hours except holidays will be from Saturday through Wednesday from 0830 to 1500 hours. Farooq said based on the Indian government's policy, the embassy has decided to outsource the consular services aimed at reaching out to the large Indian community living in Saudi Arabia and to provide services in an efficient and transparent manner. Rajeev Shahare, DCM, Indian Embassy, Amir Hussain Jalil, Regional Manager, VFS Global, Indian Embassy officials and a large number of Indian community leaders were present at the opening ceremony. Shahare said the embassy has been issuing around 60 visas daily to Saudi nationals. The official said the embassy also received around 400 applications on a daily basis for consular services including passport renewals and other related services from Indian nationals. The Indian Consulate in Jeddah has already outsourced the consular services at comparatively higher fees than in Riyadh. The additional services fees of SR15 per application for Indian passports and its related services charged by VFS Global in Riyadh can be compared with SR27 by a company in Jeddah.
