The Consulate General of India, San Francisco forms part of the Indian Government's Diplomatic representation in the United States. While the Embassy of India, Washington, remains the main representative body of the Government of India in the US, the Consulates General of India in New York, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, function as regional Diplomatic representatives covering different parts of the US.

Composition & area of activity: The Consulate General of India, San Francisco functions as a full-fledged Diplomatic mission with the Consul General as Head of office. The Consulate has jurisdiction over the following states of the US: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Though based in San Francisco, the Consulate General of India, San Francisco is responsible for conducting all activities as required of it, in all the above mentioned states. The Consulate also has a complement of Indian officials, besides certain number of locally employed staff, who comprise the overall staff strength of the Consulate.

Role of different wings: The primary task of this Consulate is to work towards establishing closer bonds between the governments and people of the states under its jurisdiction and India. Being the face of the Indian government abroad, the Consulate is also responsible for projecting the government's stand on various issues ranging from political and commercial to cultural and social. The Consulate performs a wide range of activities in the political, commercial, cultural, Press and Information, community affairs and Consular related fields.

While the political wing of the Consulate maintains links with the political establishment in the regions under its jurisdiction, and closely remains in touch with the political developments in the region, the commercial wing works towards fostering closer commercial and trade relations between India and the regions under its jurisdiction. On the Commercial front, the Consulate closely monitors developments in various sectors, including the In-tech sector, and encourages establishing closer links between companies based in the US and those in India, with a view to expanding trade between the two countries.

On the cultural front, the Consulate coordinates with certain government and Non-Government bodies in the region under its jurisdiction, to promote Indian culture and in that sense, acts as a cultural bridge between the American population in the states under its jurisdiction and India. The Consulate also closely monitors reporting in the local press, especially on subjects having direct or indirect bearing on India and Indian interests. Needless to mention that this requires maintaining constant links with the local press. In this connection, the Consulate has started a new page carrying important news items on developments in India.

The Indian Community being significantly large in California and the other states under this Consulate's jurisdiction, one of the tasks undertaken by the Consulate is to maintain close contact with various Indian communities and organizations in the region. These organizations / Associations also make it a point to regularly inform the consulate about the developments at their end. In this connection, it is the constant endeavor of this Consulate to build a closer bond with the Indian communities in different states.

The Consulate also provides a wide array of Consular services ranging from Visas to Passport services on Indian Passports. The web site of the Consulate provides all information on Consular related matters. In order to facilitate convenience to those living in far off states, the Consulate provides services through the mail. During the peak seasons of the year, when there is a significant traffic of those visiting India (September to February), the Consulate issues approximately 5000 to 6000 visas to individuals each month.

The Consulate also has a library  which has a fairly good collection of books on different subjects. Any individual interested in availing of the library facilities could approach the Consulate for visiting the library. The library also provides basic information on certain subjects, which may be readily available.

The Consulate is also taking interest in the activities of the Indian students in the region under its jurisdiction. In this connection, the Consulate has launched an outreach program, which is initially aimed at establishing contact with various student groups. Student groups, which are not yet in touch with the Consulate, could get in touch with the Consulate for the purpose. The basic objective of the exercise is for the Consulate to remain updated on the activities of the various students' associations / organizations and to assist them in any manner possible. The aim is also to keep them informed about any interesting developments in India, which would concern them.