Following reports that consular, passport, and visa services may cost 15-20 times more under proposed changes to fees, the Embassy of India in Bahrain has dubbed such reports as ‘speculative’read moreThe Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dubbed reports of increase in costs of passport and visa services as “speculative”.The MEA’s reaction came after media reports were picked by Congress to criticise the government.In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said that fees for consular, visa, and passport services were proposed to be hiked by 10 to 15 times and asked for an explanation from the government.AdvertisementIn a respons shared on X, the Embassy of India in Bahrain said the reports were speculative and asked people to not believe such reports.The matter is rooted in a media report and a call by a diaspora organisation based on that call. Earlier this week, The Daily Pioneer reported that a newly revised request for proposal (RFP) by the government could raise costs of consular, passport, and visa (CPV) services by 15 to 20 times.Under the proposed changes, applicants would pay for a bundled package, including document digitisation, fingerprint and facial biometric capture, and four additional services-photocopying, photography, form filling, and courier services, and the bundled fee would be mandatory even if the applicant would not require all these services, potentially raising costs from $5-7 to $90-100, according to The Pioneer.Following the publication of the report, Pravasi Legal Cell, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), called upon the government to not go ahead with the proposal.“Many migrants earn modest wages and will struggle to afford the revised charges, which have risen up to fivefold in some countries,” said the NGO in a memorandum submitted to the MEA.AdvertisementThe Embassy in Bahrain, however, junked the claims. It said in a statement that the reports were speculative and should not be believed.“There has been no increase in the fees for various consular services rendered in Bahrain as claimed. Embassy advises all concerned to refrain from such unverified and speculative reports which could cause inconvenience to the Indian community in Bahrain and impact the delivery of such services in an effective manner,” read the embassy’s statement.AdvertisementMore from India
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Will cost of Indian passport and visa services abroad see a steep hike? ‘Speculative’, says embassy
