Scope:

The Privacy Policy of BLS International Services Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as BLS International) describes how the information furnished by an applicant, while submitting an application for Visa or Passport or any other related services (hereinafter referred to as “User”) is collected, used, stored, transferred and made available to BLS International’s contracting party, affiliates, governments, law enforcement agencies, authorities and other agencies.  By accepting the Privacy Policy and user agreement, User expressly consents to our Privacy Policy.

Information Collection:

All information, posted, furnished and submitted by User/s while filling an application (paper or online), and / or while  scheduling an interview appointment online is converted into such formats as may be required and communicated to the respective Embassy/Consulate in the country of residence.  The information so collected may be stored, transferred and shared by BLS International, or any of its affiliated agencies, partners and any law enforcement agencies as required under law and / or mandated by the contracting party on whose behalf the information is collected.  BLS International may collect all information furnished by User, and identifiable by the passport number, portal, server, I.P address etc., which is traceable in relation to BLS International website or in relation thereto, such as IP address, E-mail address, contact detail information and other information like transactional information of User’s online usage, IP address, log-on information and standard web log information etc. 
User gives consent to BLS International to capture audio signals / video images at the Visa Application Centre, record such captured audio signals/video images on CD/DVD or other formats or any other medium and to transmit such information to any place whether in India or otherwise for purposes relating to the visa facilitation process.

Purpose of Collection:

The predominant purpose in collecting, storing, transferring or sharing the information is to:

• Provide complete and accurate information on User/s’ visa / passport applications to the Embassy / Consulate.

• 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.

• To transmit, stream and store audio signals / video images on real time or quasi real time basis to any place within India or otherwise in any mode including storage in the form of CD/DVD for purposes of providing visa facilitation services Visas and generally to provide and communicate any of the above to our contracting party, affiliate/s, principal, governments, law enforcement agencies, authorities and other agencies to respond to legal requirements, protect any one’s right, property, safety or, allegation of fraud, misuse, abuse, mischievous intent or investigations.

Cookies:
Cookies are files or pieces of information that may be stored on your system or internet enabled devices when you visit the BLS International website. Once you access the BLS International website, you consent to our use of cookies. If you do not agree to our use of cookies, you should not use our website. If the cookies that we use are disabled, it may impact the user experience of our website.  BLS International uses cookies to make the website simpler to use. We cannot identify you personally from this information.

A few important things User should know about cookies are that:

• BLS International offers certain features that are only available through the use of cookies.
• BLS International uses cookies to help identify User and maintain their signed-in status.
• Most cookies are "session cookies," meaning that they are automatically deleted from User’s hard drive at the end of a session. “Persistent cookies” remain in place across multiple visits to our websites.
• User is always free to decline BLS International’s cookies if their browser permits, although doing so may interfere with User’s use of the website, experience, certain features and functionalities.
• User may encounter cookies from any links or third parties on certain pages of the website that BLS International does not control. For example, if User views a BLS International page created by another user, there may be a "cookie" placed by that BLS International page.  BLS International and its contracting parties, principals, affiliate/s, among others, do not tolerate spam.  Any user/s are not licensed, permitted, expected to add, modify, deface, hack, misuse or abuse BLS International’s website or the contents therein.  

To report any issues related to spam or spoof emails to BLS International, please address e-mails to info@blsinternational.com.  User may not use BLS International’s communication tools or webpage to send spam or otherwise send content that would violate our user agreement. BLS International filters and automatically scans messages for viruses and other illegal or prohibited content before they are sent.  BLS International does not permanently store email messages sent to or by it through various formats.  BLS International does not rent or sell any email addresses to third parties.

User Account Information, Password & Personal Information:

User’s passport, fee receipt number, date of birth and name are key to User’s account. User is advised to exercise caution in disclosing User’s information and not to disclose the same to anyone. If User shares his/her password or personal information with others, User will be solely responsible for all actions taken in the name of User’s account. If User loses control of the same, User may lose substantial control over personal information and may be subject to legally binding actions for actions taken through their account or directly on their behalf.  Therefore, if User’s password or personal information has been compromised for any reason, User should immediately notify BLS International in writing and ensure appropriate safety and security measures.

Links to other websites:

At various points throughout the website you may be offered automatic links to other internet websites including User/Mission websites that may be relevant to a particular aspect of this website. This does not indicate that BLS International is necessarily associated with any of these other websites. Whilst it is the intention of BLS International that you should find these other websites of interest, neither BLS International, nor their officers, employees and agents shall have any responsibility or liability of any nature whatsoever for these other websites or any information contained in them, none of which have been verified or endorsed by BLS International or affiliates.

Minors:

Minors are not permitted to use the services available on our website. BLS International does not, knowingly or intentionally, collect any personal information from any person who is a minor, and does not use the information if it comes to know that the same has been provided by a minor.

Accessing, Reviewing & Modifying Personal and Other Information:

User can see, review and change most of their personal information by logging into the website. Generally, BLS International will not manually modify a user’s personal information because it is very difficult to verify any user’s identity or other details. User must promptly update user’s personal information if it changes or is inaccurate. Once the user submits any information, they will be able to change or remove it only up to 48 hours before the time and date of the interview. BLS International  retains personal information of users in order to comply with law, prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce the terms and conditions and take other actions otherwise permitted by law. You accord consent for BLS International to capture audio signals / video images at the Visa Application Centre, transmit and stream the same on real time or quasi real time basis, store and/or make available recordings of such audio signals/video images on CD/DVD format or any other medium to any place whether in India or otherwise in any mode for purposes relating to the visa facilitation process.

Right to opt out:

BLS International respects your privacy and gives you an option not to provide information or data that needs to be submitted. You can withdraw your consent that was given to BLS International earlier. However, the same needs be communicated to BLS International in writing.

Authenticity:

BLS International 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 BLS International  is accurate.

Disclosure of Information:

BLS International may need to disclose information when required by law. BLS International shall disclose information in good-faith when it is necessary to comply with a court order, any on-going judicial proceeding, or other legal process served on BLS International or to exercise the legal rights or defend against legal claims. BLS International may also disclose the information if the disclosure is reasonably necessary to enforce our terms and conditions. Further, in any event of a merger, or sale or re-structuring, VFS Global may transfer or assign any and all personal information to the appropriate party.

Security:

User’s information is stored on BLS International’s servers located in India.  BLS International 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 its website and users 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 BLS International shall not be liable. 
Therefore, although BLS International works very hard to protect users’ privacy, it cannot guarantee User that personal information or private communications will always remain private and secure.

General:

The contents of this Privacy Policy may be changed at any time and User will be subject to terms as applicable at the time of usage.

If at any time you believe that BLS International has not adhered to the Privacy Policy, please inform us by e-mail at info@blsinternational.com and we will make all commercially reasonable efforts and steps to promptly determine and resolve the issue.