‘Firmly believe people-to-people ties at heart of India-US partnership’: India announces 8 new consular application centres in US

WASHINGTON: India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, on Thursday announced the opening of eight new Indian Consular Application Centres across the United States, aimed at expanding access to consular services for the Indian diaspora.

In a post on X, the Embassy of India in Washington, DC shared a video message by Ambassador Vinay Kwatra. “Announcing major expansion of our Consular Services in the USA beginning August 01, 2025. Here is a message from Ambassador Vinay Kwatra about this expansion and the positive changes it would bring to our service delivery”.

Announcing major expansion of our Consular Services in USA beginning August 01, 2025. Here is a message from Ambassador Vinay Kwatra about this expansion and the positive changes it would bring to our service delivery. pic.twitter.com/w35fakWDTo

— India in USA (@IndianEmbassyUS) July 31, 2025

Ambassador Kwatra said in his statement that the new Indian Consular Application Centres would be in Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Addison, Orlando, Raleigh, and San Jose.

“In addition, we would also be opening another Indian Consular Application Centre in Los Angeles very soon. With the opening of these new Indian Consular Application Centres, our presence to provide extensive consular services and related delivery capabilities would increase and expand significantly. Besides, it would also make the delivery of these consular services faster and more accessible to our vibrant Indian diaspora”.

The Ambassador said that starting August 1, all the Indian consular application centres would also remain open on Saturdays. He noted that this would help significantly enhance not just the availability of various consular services, but also their accessibility to the Indian diaspora.

The Ambassador also mentioned the streamlining of various miscellaneous consular services, which would be made available through the Indian Consular Application Centres, and a few of the important services would, however, continue to be dispersed and made available from the embassy premises.

“We firmly believe that people-to-people ties are at the heart of the India-US partnership. With the opening of two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles, which the Prime Minister of India had announced a few months ago, we would be able to further strengthen not just a relationship between our two countries, but also our people-to-people ties, particularly in the areas of Boston and Los Angeles”.

Ambassador Kwatra requested the members of the Indian diaspora to keep visiting the website of the Indian Embassy, where detailed information about the opening of these Indian Consular Application Centres and the availability of various miscellaneous Consular services would be made available more regularly.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs, about 5.4 million Indian origin people (per MEA data; includes 2.07 million NRIs) reside in the US. Persons of Indian origin constitute the third-largest Asian ethnic group in the US. The Indian diaspora has been a catalyst in cementing closer ties between India and the US.

Earlier this year, in January, the United States held a dedication ceremony for its new Consulate in Bengaluru, which made it the fifth US consulate in India. (ANI)