The Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., in partnership with the Southern Asian Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and other local community organizations, organized a consular camp on December 15, 2024, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The event provided Indian and U.S. citizens the opportunity to submit applications and address queries related to OCI cards, visas, passports, and surrender of Indian passports.

Rajiv Ahuja, Second Secretary (Visa) at the Embassy of India, told South Asian Herald, “This Seventh-Day Adventist Church is a vibrant institution and highly active in the community. We are delighted to host the camp here.”

Ahuja emphasized that the initiative aimed to make consular services more accessible by offering them on weekends for the convenience of applicants.

He also highlighted the camp’s success; there were about 200 applications processed and more than 40 individuals who participated in an open house to discuss consular concerns. “This is like a one-to-one interaction, where we can interact with people and answer all their queries, and at the same time collect their applications, and take it for processing,” he added. 

He observed that a significant number of people had inquiries regarding applying for OCI and the types of visas they were eligible for. Indian nationals in the community frequently seek assistance with the re-issuance of their Indian passports. Additionally, many students had questions about their visas.

Ahuja also mentioned that several applicants raised challenges with the VFS Global website, including with online payments. “We try to get as much as constructive feedback, and then work actively with our service provider to address all those concerns so that there’s no inconvenience for the public,” added Ajuha. 

According to Ahuja, the Indian Embassy has designated contact numbers for various consular services, including OCI, passports, visas, and miscellaneous services such as attestations. These numbers are readily available on the Embassy’s homepage, and dedicated teams are available to answer calls from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, to assist with public inquiries.

The Embassy is also planning to organize additional weekend consular camps in the coming months. Updates and details regarding these events will be shared on the Embassy’s website, the VFS portal, and their social media platforms.

Lead pastor at the Southern Asian church, Pastor John Daniel, told South Asian Herald, “This is the first time we are collaborating with the Indian Embassy, and VFS Global,” noting that it was a great forum for Embassy officials and community members to meet. 

Pastor Daniel, expressed his gratitude to the Indian Embassy for hosting the event at the church, and shared his hope for more such collaborative initiatives in the future to benefit residents of the DMV area.

President of the US-India SME Council, Elisha Pulivarti, who was part of the coordinating committee, told South Asian Herald, “We are happy that consular camp took place for the first time in Silver Spring,” commending the initiative that was helpful to many community members.

Important Email and Phone Numbers from Indian Embassy:

Consular queries may be addressed by email at the email IDs mentioned below.

Our officials will attend short queries over telephone as well, between 3 PM to 5 PM on all Working Days at the telephone numbers of respective Consular services, as mentioned below:

Consular issues

VFS Helpline Numbers:

Passport Services – + 1800 320 9625

Consular Services (For OCI and Renunciation) + 1 800 320 9693

Operational Days: Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00 hours EST