The Indian Embassy in Riyadh announced on Wednesday its new outsourcing agency for consular, passport and visa services in the Kingdom including the Riyadh region and the Eastern Province for its nationals.

Indian Embassy spokesperson Hifzur Rahman told Arab News on Wednesday: “The embassy has awarded a new contract to VFS GCC LLC for outsourcing its consular services in Riyadh (Batha), Jeddah (Tahliyah Street), Alkhobar, Abha and Tabuk with effect from Jan. 1, 2015.”

He added that the consular fee for passport, visa and attestation services will remain unchanged.

The new service fee rates for passport services will be SR13, visa services at SR60 and attestation services at SR15 while the filling out of the IVFRT form will cost SR25. However, there will no charges for the fingerprinting or facial biometrics, Rahman said.

The consulate’s initiative is aimed at enhancing efficiency and catering to the large number of Indian nationals spread across the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, temporary arrangements for the remaining centers have been made in Riyadh (Ummul Hammam), Jeddah, Buraidah, Dammam and Wadi Al-Dawasir.