All personal information collected by CKGS for Indian Visa, OCI Card, PIO Card and Renunciation of Indian citizenship (hereinafter referred to as 'Services') is governed by the laws applicable for the time being in force, the policy guidelines and directions of the Government of India, Embassy of India in the USA & use as per the contract with the Embassy of India. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for which your personal information is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
The website www.in.ckgs.us contains the required information in connection with the Services. The said website will be updated as per the instructions of the Embassy / Consulate and will change from time to time.
The nature of the Internet is such that Web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, CKGS considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when visitor requests a Web page such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.
We collect no personal information (PII) about you when you visit our site unless you choose to provide this information to us. Submitting personally identifiable information through our website is voluntary, but by doing so, you are giving your permission to use the information for the stated purpose. Not providing certain information may result in our inability to provide you with a service you desire. If you choose to provide us with PII on a CKGS website, through such methods as completing a web form or sending us an email, we will use that information to help us provide you the information or Service you have requested or to respond to your message. The information we may receive from you varies based on what you do when visiting our site.
We do automatically collect and store the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (.com, .edu, etc.); the date and time you access our site; and the Internet address of the website (such as a search engine or referring page) from which you reached our site. We use the information we collect to count the number of visitors to the different pages on our site and to help us make our site more useful to applicants & visitors like you.
In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the CKGS websites and particularly on the website / web portals of the Government of India, Embassy of India and its Consulates General signed in USA, and or on websites such as social media platforms or mobile applications, IP addresses may be recorded by the Web server of the third-party service provider.
Provide complete and accurate information as given by User on User/s' Visa, OCI Card, PIO Card and Renunciation of Indian citizenship applications to the Embassy of India and its Consulates General.
Prevent misuse, abuse, mischievous intent, prohibited or illegal use and hacking through any means and to address any security issues.
Customize, measure and improve our services and website content and layout.
Applicant gives consent to CKGS to capture audio signals / video images, record such captured audio signals / video images on CD/DVD or other formats or any other medium and to transmit, stream and store audio signals / video images on real time or quasi real time basis or any such information to any place whether in USA, India or otherwise in any mode including storage in the form of CD / DVD for purposes of providing the Services relating to the Application process and generally to provide and communicate any of CKGS’s contracting parties, affiliates, principal, Government of India, the Embassy of India and its Consulates General, any law enforcement agencies, authorities and other agencies to respond to legal requirements, protect anyone’s right, property, safety or, allegation of fraud, misuse, abuse, mischievous intent or investigations.
All the information so collected from the Applicant may be stored, transferred and shared by CKGS, or any of its affiliated service providers and any law enforcement agencies on whose behalf the information is collected as required under the applicable laws. CKGS may collect all information furnished by Applicant, and identifiable by the passport number, portal, server, I.P address etc., which is traceable in relation to CKGS website or in relation thereto, such as IP address, E-mail address, contact detail information and other information like transactional information of Applicants’ online usage, IP address, log-on information and standard web log information etc.
Applicants may be asked to provide certain personal information including name, photograph, address, date of birth, telephone number, passports information, birth certificate, income, past and present citizenship status, origin of nationality, nationalisation proof, marital status, employment, criminal and educational background information etc. This list is not exhaustive and is subject to change as may be directed by the Embassy of India and its Consulates General from time to time.
Applicant’s personal information shall be used only for the purposes mentioned herein. CKGS may need to disclose personal information when required by law when it is necessary to comply with a court order, any on-going judicial proceeding, or other legal process served on CKGS or to exercise the legal rights or defend against legal claims, criminal investigations, judicial matters, national security or prevention, investigation, detection, prosecution of criminal activities etc.
CKGS may transfer (or otherwise make available) Applicant’s personal information to service providers that provide services on behalf of CKGS. For example, CKGS may use service providers to provide courier services and call centers to collect any additional information required. Personal data such as name, address, phone number may be provided to courier service providers and call centers. The personal information will not be shared with the SMS service provider. Applicant’s personal information may be maintained and processed by CKGS’s authorized service providers located within and also outside USA and in India. Service providers are provided with the information they need to perform their designated functions and CKGS do not authorize them to use or disclose personal information for their own purposes.
Minors (as defined under the laws of their jurisdiction or residence) are neither eligible to register for, nor use Services available on the CKGS Site. CKGS does not knowingly collect Personal Information from any minor and will not use this information if discovered that it has been provided by a minor.
Applicant’s information is stored on CKGS servers located in USA and in India. CKGS treats data as an asset that must be protected and uses tools like encryption, passwords, physical security, firewalls, and other security features and measures to protect CKGS website and Applicants personal information against unauthorized disclosure, access, misuse, abuse, hacking etc. However, sometimes third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications and other users may abuse or misuse a user's / users' personal information that they may collect from the website for which CKGS shall not be liable.
Therefore, although CKGS works very hard to protect Applicant’s privacy, it cannot guarantee that personal information or private communications will always remain private and secure.
CKGS respects Applicant’s privacy and gives Applicant an option not to provide information or data that needs to be submitted. Applicant can withdraw his / her consent that was given to CKGS earlier. However, the same needs to be communicated to CKGS in writing. Once the Applicant has withdrawn his / her consent, CKGS will no longer provide Applicant with Applicant Support Services.
CKGS shall not be held responsible for the authenticity or accuracy of the information provided by the User. It shall be the duty of the User to ensure that the information provided to CKGS is accurate and true.
You may choose to provide us with personal information, as in e-mail with a comment or question. We use the information to improve our service to you or to respond to your request. Sometimes we forward your e-mail to the Government of India, the Embassy of India and its Consulates General in the USA and in India and / or the government agencies who may be better able to help you. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, we do not share our e-mail with any other outside organizations.
We link to social networking and other kinds of third-party websites. We use social networking websites to interact with the foreign audiences and to engage in public diplomacy worldwide. Social networking websites are used to publicize Embassy events, and engage with members of the public. We also use web measurement and customization technologies to measure the number of visitors to our websites and their various sections and to help make our websites more useful to visitors. In some cases, the third-party application may request an email address, username, password, and geographic location for account registration purposes. We do not use third-party websites to solicit and collect PII from individuals. We do not collect or store any PII collected by any third-party website, and no PII will be disclosed, sold or transferred to any other entity outside CKGS, unless required for law enforcement purposes or by statute.
We may use various types of online surveys to collect opinions and feedback from a random sample of visitors. Primarily, CKGS uses this for checking results of Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) online survey on an ongoing basis to obtain feedback and data on visitor satisfaction with our websites. This survey does not collect PII. Although the survey invitation pops up for a random sample of visitors, it is optional. If you decline the survey, you will still have access to the identical information and resources at our site as those who do take the survey. The survey reports are available only to web managers and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. We may use other limited-time surveys for specific purposes, which are explained at the time they are posted.
Some of the information in this website has been provided by external sources. CKGS is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information provided by external sources. Users wishing to rely upon this information should consult directly with the source of the information.
Every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information. However, we cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. With respect to documents and information on this website, neither CKGS nor its employees or contractors make any warranty, expressed or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to documents available from this website. Additionally, CKGS assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed herein and does not represent that use of such information, product, or process would not infringe on privately owned rights.