Positive experience with VFS Edinburgh (appointment for surrender of Indian passport, but also managed to apply Visa)

Last Friday, I had a positive experience at VFS Edinburgh. The applicant is a minor and the family is living in London, but the only available appointment before the scheduled travel was at VFS Edinburgh.

The application was for surrender of Indian passport. But I had also taken the Indian tourist visa application and supporting documents with me. There are of course minor delays, but I was called to the counter 20-25 minutes past my scheduled appointment time (after obtaining a token from the security desk at the entrance). Just before paying for the passport surrender application, I said I had travelled from London, and asked whether they would accept the tourist visa application also. They said that it was absolutely no problem to do so, and asked me to write a simple cover letter stating that I had applied for the Indian passport surrender concurrently, quoting that application reference. I then paid for both applications combined in a single transaction.

I noticed that most of the issues other people faced were due to not having the correct supporting documents (e.g. parental declarations for minors), or that they applied to the incorrect jurisdiction (e.g. a family from Belfast had come in because of available appointments in Edinburgh, but with application form for the London HCI instead of Edinburgh consulate). Other issues were that the photo booth/kiosk at the building accepted only cash, and some applicants were asked to re-upload digital photos if the original ones did not meet the specifications.

But overall, the staff are helpful and friendly, and I was out of the building within the hour, having submitted both the surrender and visa applications.