Biometrics Requirement Introduced in Austria and San Francisco
January 13, 2017
Countries / Territories
According to a change in practice, foreign nationals seeking Indian visas in Austria will be required to visit an Indian visa application center to submit an Indian visa application on or after January 23, 2017. Additionally, foreign nationals filing in-person Indian visa applications in San Francisco must appear for biometrics at an Indian visa application center and must secure an appointment prior to visiting the application center.
Exemptions
Postal and third-party submissions are still being accepted by Indian visa application centers in San Francisco. Those following such processes are not subject to the biometrics requirement.
Applicants below 12 years or above 70 years of age or with poor/no fingerprints are exempt from the biometrics requirement. Applicants holding Official/Diplomatic/United Nations passports will also be exempt.
Background
As part of the Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) project launched in December 2015, biometrics will be implemented across other Indian Missions in phases. This is in line with efforts to enhance security within the Indian immigration environment. The most recent implementation of biometrics was in the United Kingdom.
What This Means for Foreign Nationals
Foreign nationals seeking Indian visas in Austria and San Francisco will be subject to an extra administrative hurdle for their applications.
We worked closely with Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt.) Limited ("Fragomen-India") to prepare this alert. It is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
Fragomen in India is Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt) Ltd., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in India.
