The High Commission of India in Wellington has announced the new Consulate General Office in Auckland. It will open its doors to public this Thursday, September 5, 2024, from a temporary location at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, 145 New North Road, Eden Terrace.
The office will provide document attestation services initially, with other consular services, including passport, visa, and OCI applications, expected to be available soon.
The office will be open for submission of applications from 9.30am to 1pm, and documents can be collected from 4pm to 5pm. The facility will be closed on weekends and public holidays.
For inquiries, people can write in to Consul Sanjeev Kumar at hoc.auckland@mea.gov.in and Vice Consul Divya at admn.auckland@mea.gov.in.
The services provided at the Honorary Consul Office at 133A Onehunga Mall will cease from September 5, 2024.
On December 27, 2023, the Indian government approved a proposal to open a full service consulate in Auckland, a move described as one that will strengthen the South Asian giant’s diplomatic footprint in New Zealand.
India’s main diplomatic mission in Aotearoa currently operates out of Wellington. An honorary consulate opened in 2017 in Auckland to serve Kiwi-Indians in this city, and Bhav Dhillion was appointed the first Hon Consul of India in Auckland.
Hon Consul of India in Auckland Bhav Dhillon says a new full-service consulate in Auckland will address a long-standing demand of the Kiwi-Indian community, and go a long way in further improving the already blossoming India-NZ relations.
“I am looking forward to welcoming Mr Sethi and handing over the responsibility,” Dhillon says, confirming his full support during the transition and the subsequent opening of the facility.
The honorary consulate, called Consulate of India, Auckland, was opened nearly seven years back with a view to providing a diplomatic channel and serving Kiwi-Indians, who had to liaise with the embassy in Wellington for all big and small needs.
