The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said Indian missions in Australia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continue to provide limited consular services, even as operations of the outsourced agencies handling passport, visa and consular work remain suspended because of an ongoing legal dispute.
Responding to reports that Indian missions had suspended consular services in the three countries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified that only the operations of the outsourcing agency had been put on hold.
“Our Missions in the concerned countries (Australia, Kuwait and UAE) continue to offer limited consular services. The operations of the outsourcing agency in these countries supporting consular services rendered by our Missions have been kept on hold as the matter is sub-judice. We await directions from the Hon’ble High Court," Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing.
The clarification comes after routine passport, visa and consular services handled through private outsourcing partners, including VFS Global and BLS International, were temporarily suspended in the three countries, prompting Indian missions to directly handle emergency and essential services.
In Australia, the High Commission of India has announced that Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) services through outsourced centres have remained suspended since July 1 until further notice. Applicants requiring emergency consular assistance have been advised to approach the High Commission or the respective Consulates General directly.
Applications already submitted will remain pending until services resume, while passports that are ready for collection will continue to be returned through the existing process.
The disruption follows a legal dispute surrounding the outsourcing arrangement. In the UAE, the proposed transition of consular services to a new service provider, Alhind Tours and Travels LLC, from July 1 has also been affected by the ongoing court proceedings.
The MEA, however, stressed that Indian diplomatic missions remain operational for essential consular requirements and are awaiting further directions from the High Court before normal outsourced services resume.
