WASHINGTON – In a significant move to enhance accessibility for the Indian diaspora, India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, announced the opening of eight new Indian Consular Application Centres across the country. The initiative, effective from August 1, 2025, is aimed at streamlining services for the millions of people of Indian origin residing in the U.S.
In a video message shared on the social media platform X by the Embassy of India in Washington, DC, Ambassador Kwatra outlined the government’s commitment to better serving the community. The new centers are expected to simplify the process for essential services such as passport renewals, visa applications, and OCI card processing.
The eight new application centers are located in:
- Boston
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Detroit
- Addison
- Orlando
- Raleigh
- San Jose
Ambassador Kwatra also noted that another center in Los Angeles would open 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,” he stated.
In a further effort to improve accessibility, all Indian consular application centers will now also remain open on Saturdays. This change is designed to accommodate individuals who are unable to visit the centers on weekdays.
The expansion of consular services coincides with the planned opening of two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles, which was announced by the Indian Prime Minister a few months ago. This is part of a broader strategy to strengthen people-to-people ties, which Ambassador Kwatra described as being “at the heart of the India-US partnership.”
According to data from the Ministry of External Affairs, there are about 5.4 million people of Indian origin living in the United States, with 2.07 million being Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). This makes the Indian community the second-largest immigrant group in the U.S. and the third-largest Asian ethnic group. The diaspora has been a key factor in strengthening ties between the two nations.
