Residents seeking Saudi Arabian visit, residency and family visas from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi may get a local visa-processing option after a request was submitted to Mangaluru MP Captain Brijesh Chowta for a VFS office in the coastal city.
The request seeks an office where applicants can submit passports, fingerprints, photographs and other documents for Saudi visa stamping without travelling to Bengaluru or Kerala. According to the report, applicants from the two districts currently need to visit VFS offices in one of those locations for the process.
The travel requirement has created difficulties for applicants, particularly young children and elderly passengers, the representation said. Applicants may also have to return to the office if discrepancies are found in their documents, adding another journey to an already multi-stage visa process.
The issue was brought to Chowta’s attention by Gulf Kannada resident Ishaq Fazeer. Advocate Asgar Mudipu subsequently submitted the representation to the MP. The request focuses on improving access to a service that is currently available to residents only outside the coastal districts, according to the report.
Chowta responded by writing an email to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, asking the minister to intervene and initiate steps to open a VFS office in Mangaluru. The report does not state that the Ministry of External Affairs or VFS Global has approved the proposed facility.
VFS offices typically serve as document-submission and biometric collection points for visa applications, while decisions on visa issuance remain with the relevant foreign government. For applicants, a facility in Mangaluru would reduce the need for intercity travel for the submission stage if the proposal is accepted and operationalised.
The request also highlights the administrative gap faced by residents of coastal Karnataka who need services linked to overseas travel and employment but must access them in another state or in Bengaluru. The immediate issue is not only distance: repeat visits caused by document discrepancies can increase travel costs and make the process more difficult for families, children and older people.
The next step identified in the report is consideration of the MP’s request by the External Affairs Ministry and the relevant visa-processing authorities. No timeline for a decision, site selection or opening of a Mangaluru VFS office has been announced.
