The Indian Embassy’s passport, visa, attestation and other miscellaneous consular services will now be provided at the newly-opened Indian Consular Application Centre (ICAC) at the Bahrain Mall.
With effect from yesterday, KA Visa Services, located on the first floor of Bahrain Mall, is open from 8am to 6pm, catering to consular tasks.
This was amongst the key announcements made at the Indian Embassy’s open house yesterday to address consular and welfare-related concerns of Indian nationals in the kingdom.
Indian Ambassador Vinod Kurian Jacob, who chaired the open house, also announced that the ICAC would charge a nominal facilitation fee of 180 fils in addition to government fees, covering services like form filling, photocopying, photography, SMS and courier delivery.
The ICAC will accept payments by cash, debit and credit card, BenefitPay and STC Pay.
Appointments must now be booked by visiting www.skylane.com/bh/india and bookings through the Indian Embassy’s Connect mobile application have been discontinued.
The open house was attended by more than 40 community members. Officials from the embassy’s community welfare and consular teams, as well as the panel lawyer, were present.
Mr Jacob also extended an invitation to the Indian community to attend the flag hoisting ceremony on August 15, in celebration of India’s 79th Independence Day.
He highlighted welfare initiatives carried out by the embassy, including financial assistance for the repatriation of a stretcher-bound patient and support for a stranded family of four who were provided air tickets and travel documentation.
Boarding and lodging assistance for distressed nationals was also facilitated through the Indian Community Welfare Fund.
Mr Jacob thanked the Bahraini government, including the Labour Ministry and Labour Market Regulatory Authority and immigration officials for their co-operation in resolving concerns, noting that most of the cases raised during the previous open house had been addressed.
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