Guide: Indian Embassy Houston

Having an Indian embassy nearby could be a blessing, especially if you need to renew a passport or you want to seek some visa services. If you live in Houston, you may be worried that there isn’t any Indian Embassy Houston for you to go to. Is that really the case, though? Let’s find out if there is any Indian Embassy in Houston that you can visit when you need it the most.

Is There an Indian Embassy in Houston?

The Consulate General of India operates in Houston. Therefore, if you want any embassy services and you live in Houston or its jurisdiction, you will have to talk to someone from this institution.

Basically, the Consulate General of India serves the states Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Texas. So, given the operations in Texas, you can confidently prepare for your specific consular service before you make a request.

Where Is the Houston Indian Embassy Located?

The Indian Embassy Houston is located at 4300 Scotland St. Houston, TX 77007. The consulate only works during specific hours and days of the week, so you have to make sure you go to the physical location within this time.

What Services Does the Houston Indian Embassy Offer?

The Houston Indian Embassy offers a series of services. Basically, you can obtain the typical services you usually get from an embassy or consulate. Below, we will go into more detail about the type of services you can get if you contact the Indian Embassy Houston.

Passport Services

Passport services are among the most common reasons why people contact an embassy or consulate, to begin with. If you need a passport or you need to renew the old one or claim that it was stolen, lost, or damaged, you can contact the Indian Embassy in Houston.

VFS Global is the service provider of the Consulate General of India in Houston. This has been the case since November 4, 2020. That being said, you will be able to find out more from VFS Global when you need passport services in Houston.

What’s important to know is that certain fees apply for the passport services. But there’s more apart from the passport fees. You will also have to pay a VFS Global service charge of US$15.90. Other than that, you will pay US$2 as a way to contribute to the Indian Community Welfare Fund.

Visa Service

Obviously, the consulate can also help you with different types of visa services when necessary.

Thus, you can obtain a visa to go to India for different purposes, whether it’s for business reasons or travel ones. A Tourist Visa can be obtained by people who want to simply travel to India to visit the country or to meet their relatives or friends who live there. Another thing that makes this visa suitable for you is if you are planning to attend any yoga program for a short time or a medical treatment that requires India’s medical system.

A Journalist Visa can also be achieved from this embassy. If you are a journalist or member of the media, you can use this visa if you need to temporarily travel to India for journalistic purposes.

Next, you can also get a business visa. It’s the most suitable visa for those who want to perform any business activities or who are planning to establish a company. If you are also a coach or just someone in sports who has to take part in any Indian commercial sports event, you can use this visa as well.

Employment visas are also available for individuals who get a job in India and will have to stay in the country for the entire duration of the job. To get this visa, you need to gather proof and several documents that show that you are employed with a valid company in India. Of course, you must also be very skilled in what you do.

It’s also possible to get a medical visa if you need some special treatment in any recognized hospital or center in India. The medical documents that prove you need this treatment should be submitted to show you are eligible for this visa.

Transit visas are also available through the Indian consulate in Houston. A Transit Visa will allow you to travel through India to a destination outside the country. The document will then have an availability of 15 days from the issuance date.

If you wish to study in India, do research, or participate in an internship, a student visa can be achieved from the Houston Indian Embassy.

Other than that, you can also get a conference visa, mountaineering visa, entry visa, film visa, visa for Pakistani passport holders, and many others.

OCI Card Services

As a person of Indian origin, you have the right to get an OCI card, more specifically Overseas Citizenship of India. If you were an Indian citizen on January 26, 1950, or afterward and you were eligible to become a citizen of the country on that date, you can apply for this card. VFS Global offers these services for the Indian Embassy in Houston. You will have to handle the applicable fees to the Indian Government. Afterward, you also have to pay US$15.90 for service charges, as well as US$3 to contribute to the Indian Community Welfare Fund.

Indian Citizenship Renunciation

Considering the Indian Citizenship Act does not allow dual citizenship, you will have to renounce your Indian passport to the Consulate if you manage to achieve foreign nationality. So, after surrendering an Indian passport, it will be canceled by the Consulate and the Passport holder will receive it back, accompanied by a Surrender/Renunciation certificate.

You can also get a Renunciation Declaration Certificate in case you lost or misplaced your Indian passport, meaning you cannot surrender it. It’ll also be mandatory to submit a sworn affidavit of loss of the document.

What Is the Phone Number for the Indian Embassy in Houston?

Contacting the Indian Embassy Houston is possible by phone as well. The consulate has a phone number that you can find on the official website. If you find this communication method to be the most convenient one, you can call 713-626-2148.

What Are the Operating Hours of the Indian Embassy in Houston?

You need to make sure that you seek the help of the Indian consulate in Houston during their operating hours. The consulate works during business days, more specifically from Monday to Friday. It closes on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as public holidays.

As for the official operating hours, the employers work from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

Read More

• Guide to the Indian Embassy in Atlanta
• Guide to the Indian Embassy in San Francisco
• Indian Embassy Chicago
• Guide to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC
• Guide to the Indian Embassy New York

Conclusion

There is an Indian consulate in Houston, and if you need any of its services, it’ll be there to help you out. The only thing you have to pay attention to is contacting the consulate during their working days and within their operating hours. If you wish to contact them, it is possible to do so by phone. Before you seek any type of service, though, it’s important to make sure you gather all the documents and have the money ready.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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