US consulate to open in Bengaluru on Friday, but no visa services for now

The US consulate office will open in Bengaluru on Friday morning in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and US Ambassador Eric Garcetti, bringing to fruition a longstanding demand of Bengalureans and those from neighbouring regions.

The consulate office will start functioning from JW Marriot hotel on Vittal Mallya road with a few staffers for now before it moves into a permanent facility with a bigger team. A clarity on what services the office will offer will emerge in the days to come.

Bengaluru, the tech hub making up about 37% of the country’s software exports, saw its people travel to Chennai or Hyderabad for visa work. This also has put many students at an inconvenience.


Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, in a post on X, said the journey began in 2006 when he proposed a US Consulate in Bengaluru. “Unfortunately, during the UPA regime, political pressure from a Chief Minister of another state led to the consulate being shifted elsewhere. However, I remained determined. On May 31, 2018, as Chief Minister, I met the then-US Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, and emphasized Bengaluru’s rightful claim for a US Consulate. This success is a testament to the power of collective effort and belief in Bengaluru’s global significance,” he said.

Karnataka’s IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge in a post on X said the decision to establish consulates was made by the respective governments based on the economic significance of a city, not on the whims or personal preferences of BJP MPs or the External Affairs Minister.

He said he was confident S Jaishankar, who served the nation as an officer for 38 years across various regimes (mostly under Congress governments), would agree with his view.

“Bengaluru has always been the natural choice for a US consulate, given its thriving ecosystem for investments and trade that mutually benefits the US and India…Perhaps BJP MPs and Dr S Jaishankar should make honest reels about how pressure from the Supreme Leader to prioritize a consulate in Gujarat caused the delay in establishing one in Bengaluru.”

The minister said the consulate would initially service only American citizens and businesses and it would take a while before it started offering Visa services from here.