Privacy Statement

Introduction

VFS Services Australia Pty Ltd and its related entities (collectively referred to as "we", "us", "our" and "VFS") is subject to the National Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (as amended from time to time).

This Privacy Statement explains in general terms how VFS protects the privacy of your personal information under the National Privacy Principles. It will apply to any personal information you provide to us in respect of:

• a passport application;
• a visa application;
• a Overseas Citizen of India ("OCI") application; and
• under any other agreement or arrangement we may specify from time to time.

This Privacy Statement will also apply to any personal information about you that is provided to us by someone else such as a travel agent.

This Privacy Statement does not apply to VFS employee records, which are generally exempt from the legislation.

What Information We Collect
The types of personal information that we collect from you will depend on the circumstances of collection and on the type of service you request from us. For example, when you apply for visa, we may collect details such as your name, address, date of birth, passport details and other relevant information. We are required by law to obtain your consent to the collection of "sensitive information" and we will assume that you have consented to the collection of all information about you which is provided to us for use in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

How We Collect Information
We may collect personal information about you when you deal with us over the telephone, send us correspondence (whether by letter, fax or email), visit our web site or when you have contact with us in person. As well as collecting information directly from you, there may be occasions when we collect information about you from a third party. For example:

• From people making applications on your behalf;
• From travel agents that collect your personal information and disclose it to us so that we may process your application.

How We Use Your Personal Information
We collect your personal information, store it on our system and then forward it to the High Commission of India / Consulate General of India ("HCI") to process your application. Some of the personal information we collect is essential for us to be able to accurately identify who is using the service and to provide the service to you. Other types of personal information we collect help us to profile who is using our services and what their interests are.

Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties
We may disclose your personal information to third parties, including for example, the HCI, data processing companies, courier businesses and their respective officers, employees, agents and representatives for the purpose for which the information was collected or for related purposes, to provide you with a service that you requested.

We may also disclose your personal information to various law enforcement agencies and governments around the world for security, customs or immigration purposes.

Your information may also be shared between related entities within our global group of companies where necessary to fulfil our purposes.

We may engage third party contractors to perform services for us which involve the contractor handling personal information we hold. For example, we may engage third party contractors to:

• provide courier or delivery services
• provide email and mail handling services
• provide electronic funds transfer services, credit card account processing and related services;
• operate call centres
• conduct market research
• provide information technology services such as data storage, website hoisting, communication networks, software and system development and maintenance

In these situations, we take steps to prohibit the third party from using personal information about you except for the specific purpose for which we supply it to that third party contractor.

Other than the above and as otherwise expressly stated elsewhere in this Privacy Statement, we will not disclose your personal information without your consent unless disclosure is either necessary to prevent a threat to life or health, authorised or required by law, reasonably necessary to enforce the law or necessary to investigate a suspected unlawful activity.

Access to and Correction of Information About You
We will, on request, provide you with access to the information we hold about you, unless there is an exception which applies under the National Privacy Principles, including for the purpose of correcting or updating that information. We may recover from you our reasonable costs of supplying you with access to the information we hold about you. Your request to provide access to this information will be dealt with in a reasonable time.

If we refuse to provide you with access to the information we hold about you, we will provide you with reasons for the refusal and inform you of any exceptions relied upon under the National Privacy Principles.

Keeping Your Personal Information Up To Date
We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold about you is accurate, complete, and up-to-date whenever we collect or use it. If the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to either correct this information, or if necessary, discuss alternative action with you.

Transfer of Information Overseas
You consent to us transferring to recipients in foreign countries any of your personal information to fulfil the purposes set out in this Privacy Statement, for example to:

• VFS offices overseas
• Data processors
• Information technology and business process service providers.

In many cases the transfer will be necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures taken in response to a request by you or for the performance of a contract with a third party which is concluded in your interests.

Storage and Security of your Personal Information
VFS takes reasonable steps to protect the security of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Statement. VFS regularly reviews and implements new security and encryption technologies. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be totally secure.

While VFS strives to protect such information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or obtain from our online services. Accordingly, use is at your own risk.

Once any personal information comes into our possession, we will take reasonable steps to protect that information from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Resolving Your Concerns
If you wish to gain access to your personal information, have a complaint about a breach of your privacy or you have any query on how your personal information is collected or used please forward your request, complaint or query to the address below. We will respond to your query or complaint as soon as possible.

Links to other Websites
The VFS website contains links to other websites. Please note that these links are intended for your convenience only. Links to third party websites do not constitute endorsement, sponsorship or approval by VFS of the content, policies or practices of those third party websites.

If you have any concerns regarding your privacy when visiting a linked third party, you should ensure that you check the privacy statement/policies of those websites.

Changes to This Privacy Statement
We may amend this Privacy Statement as our business requirements or the law changes. Any changes to this Privacy Statement will be updated on www.vfs-in-au.net, so please visit www.vfs-in-au.net periodically to ensure that you have our most current privacy statement.

Your continued use of the VFS website constitutes your acceptance of the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information to the extent outlined in this Privacy Statement as amended from time to time.

For further information about the protection of your privacy, please visit the Australian Federal Privacy Commissioner's website at www.privacy.gov.au.

Feedback and questions about privacy

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Statement, please contact us at:

Email: visainfo@vfs-in-au.net
Telephone: +61 (02) 92993539
Post Level 1, 64 Clarence Street, Sydney 2000