Tag Archives: VFS Global

VFS Global officially inaugurated its new Abu Dhabi Joint Visa Application Centre at a more comfortable and premium location in terms of amenities and infrastructure. The newly relocated centre is situated at Level B2 (Lower Ground), The Mall, World Trade Centre, Khalifa Bin Zayed the 1st Street (Airport Road), Abu Dhabi. Spread across 24,000 square feet, the new centre serves 28 client governments and is expected to process over 100,000 visa applications annually. The centre is equipped with 72 application submission counters and can accommodate up to 1,500 applicants a day. For customers seeking luxury and convenience, the Abu Dhabi centre offers 24 submission counters in its Premium Lounges. The new centre is dedicated to the memory of the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Former Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Founding Father of the UAE. Representing the UAE government and having unveiled the statue of His Highness Sheik Zayed – H.E. Dr. Ahmed Al Banna, Ambassador of the UAE to India, said, “Abu Dhabi is thrilled to welcome the seamless and automated VAC experience that this centre will deliver to travellers from Abu Dhabi.” Commenting on the launch of the new centre, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO for Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “The launch of the new Abu Dhabi centre, which is one of the biggest in the region, reflects our vision to provide world-class facilities to match the UAE capital’s strong demand for best-in-class visa application services.”

VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, relocates its Visa Application Centre in Abu Dhabi to a more accessible and premium location in terms of amenities and infrastructure. Commenting on the key features of the new centre, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO for Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “The expansive new centre serves 27 client governments and provides outbound travellers from Abu Dhabi a very convenient visa application platform, ensuring enhanced quality of services and seamless procedures in a spacious environment. Visa applicants can enjoy personalised services while submitting their visa applications in the comfort of luxurious Platinum or Premium lounges.” Following the relocation, customers can submit their visa applications in an even more convenient and comfortable environment at the new VFS Global centre situated at Level B2 (Lower Ground), The Mall, World Trade Centre, Khalifa Bin Zayed the 1st Street (Airport Road), Abu Dhabi. The newly relocated centre is larger, with a greater applicant accommodating capacity compared to the previous centre, along with high security control and ample parking space.   From this centre, customers can apply for visas to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom and Ukraine. In 2018, VFS Global processed approximately half a million applications from the United Arab Emirates alone, and Abu Dhabi centre accounted for over 80,000 visa applications.

VFS Global is welcoming Saudi talent to consider a future in the tourism sector as the country accelerates its efforts towards becoming a world-class tourist hub. Building on its Saudisation initiative, which has achieved 51 per cent and a Platinum status under the Saudi Nitaqat programme since being launched across Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar in 2018, VFS Global is encouraging Saudi students to opt for career paths within the organisation as it eyes exceeding 60 per cent Saudisation by 2020. To date, the company’s efforts have been devoted to hiring over 60 qualified Saudi national interns. Since 2018, VFS Global has partnered with the King Saud University, King Abdulaziz University and Jeddah University. The company is currently working on internship agreements with Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. Dr. Adeeb A. Al-Khaliel, Vice – Rector Assistant for Industrial and Business Relation, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said, “The tourism industry shows promising potential for the leadership’s vision and we are pleased with the Saudisation initiative VFS Global has incorporated in its organisational framework.” Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO, VFS Global, said, “ As a company with strong foundations in the tourism sector, VFS Global is pleased to welcome more Saudi nationals into this innovative space in order to highlight potential employment opportunities and make progress towards KSA’s Vision 2030 directives for launching promising sectors.” In addition to the internship programme, VFS Global has also launched a management trainee programme for existing Saudi nationals to build on mid-level manager capabilities and provide rapid development career pathways.

Athletes and coaches from all around the world regularly criss-cross their region, country, or continent as they travel to one major sporting event after another in order to participate and compete. We spoke to Omar Al Souma, Saudi-based Al Ahli football player about the planning and preparation he needs to undertake for his travel. He has been playing football for almost two decades – his popularity skyrocketed in 2007 when he travelled from Syria to Dammam to participate in the Asian Youth Cup and lead his team to victory. Al Souma says that he has travelled frequently since and requires a visa for most countries he visits. Earlier, he had to visit the visa application centre to submit his application and biometric information but that has changed since he started using VFS Global’s new Visa At Your Doorstep service. The technology-enabled service brings the visa application process directly to the applicant, and that too at their preferred time and location. Recounting his experience, Al Souma said, “I have been playing matches all over and the visa process can be time consuming. Visa At Your Doorstep proved to be the best decision I could have taken for this process as I travel regularly – it not only enabled me to apply for my Schengen visa to France in comfort, but the team was professional, competent and consistently responsive to any questions I had.” “Throughout my Schengen visa application, VFS Global provided a personalised approach which suited my needs perfectly. The application that the French consulate received was very detailed and complete, which I feel was the reason why the whole experience was smooth and most importantly, brief,” he added.  

As the leading visa outsourcing and technology partner for several governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, VFS Global has achieved a milestone by processing a record 200 million visa applications. Set up in 2001, the company touched its first 100 million applications milestone in May 2015. Since then, the next 100 million applications were processed over a record four-year period. In 2018 alone, VFS Global processed 26.7 million applications globally – the most number of visa applications processed in any single year, registering a 16 per cent increase year-on-year. Commenting on this achievement, Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global Group, said, “We take pride in this achievement of processing our 200 millionth visa application, with 100 million of these processed in a timespan of the last four years. We are grateful for the co-operation of the 62 client governments we serve – 18 of which were added in last four years, pointing to the trust and credibility we have built since we started this journey in 2001.” Even through its rapid expansion, the company has introduced game-changing visa solutions offering greater convenience, reliability and flexibility in service. Some of these are: Visa at Your Doorstep, Mobile Visa Application Centres, the first visa services chatbot ViVA among others, introduced in the recent years. In terms of the total visa market (both outsourced and non-outsourced), VFS Global’s share is 15 per cent. Across the world, there are as many as 50 players catering to the visa outsourcing business, and together they hold a market share that is identical to VFS Global. VFS Global today has an unparalleled network of over 3,000 application centres with operations in 147 countries.

In addition to applying for an Italian visa at VFS Global Visa Application Centre, travellers heading to Italy from Bahrain now have access to a wealth of information at the newly inaugurated Italia Tourist Information Centre located in Manama. VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, also launched The Little Book of Italy travel guide at the opening ceremony, in the presence of H.E Domenico Bellato, Ambassador of Italy to the Kingdom of Bahrain, on June 16, 2019. With the launch of the Italia Tourist Information Centre and the Little Book of Italy, VFS Global and the Italian Embassy aim at providing applicants with first-hand information on visa procedures and travel tips. Speaking at the inauguration, Bellato said, “It is a pleasure to inaugurate the Italia Tourist Information Centre in Bahrain. There are not many places globally which can match the combination of history, culture, scenery, fashion, shopping, and food offered by Italy. With the launch of this centre and the Little Book of Italy we hope visa applicants will receive timely touristic information from a reliable source. We are confident that the centre will help to further increase the number of Bahraini citizens and residents who choose Italy as their destination for tourism and business.” Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “We are excited to take our partnership with the Government of Italy to the next level with the launch of Italia Tourist Information Centre. Bahrain has a large number of travellers to Italy for leisure and business, and this new centre will bring accurate information to their close proximity as …

Citizens and expatriate residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can apply for visas to Ireland at the new visa application centres jointly launched by the Embassy of Ireland in Saudi Arabia and VFS Global. With the launch of three new centres in Riyadh, Al Khobar and Jeddah, applicants can submit their visa applications at the VFS Global centres without having to visit the Embassy of Ireland. The new centres provide outbound travellers from Riyadh, Al Khobar and Jeddah a very convenient visa application platform, ensuring enhanced quality of services and seamless procedures. During the official inauguration event of the Visa Application Centre in Riyadh, Ambassador of Ireland to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said, “We are pleased to announce an extended partnership with VFS Global to open new centers to provide seamless visa application services to a greater number of travelers from Saudi Arabia. Ireland is recognised the world over for the hospitality of its people, its beautiful landscape and its cultural richness.With opening of these new centers we welcome travellers from Saudi Arabia to experience the beauty and hospitality of Ireland.” Visitors from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia account for approximately 33% of all visitors from the Middle East to Ireland. In 2018, approximately 6000 visitors travelled to Ireland from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. VFS Global has been associated with the Client Government of Ireland since 2004 and presently serves applicants through a network of 60 Visa Application Centers across 17 countries including Hong Kong, India, Russia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates, amongst others. Commenting on the launch of three new centers for visas to Ireland, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO for Middle East, South Asia & …

Citizens and expatriate residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can apply for Schengen visas to Belgium at the new Visa Application Centres jointly launched by the Embassy of Belgium in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and VFS Global. The new centres provide outbound travellers from Al Khobar and Jeddah a very convenient visa application platform, ensuring enhanced quality of services and seamless procedures. Applicants also complete their biometric enrolment at the same application centre. With the launch of these new centres, applicants no longer need to visit the Embassy of Belgium and instead need to submit their visa applications at the VFS Global centres in Al Khobar and Jeddah. During the official inauguration of the Visa Application Centre in Al Khobar, H E Dominique Mineur, Ambassador of Belgium to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said, “The recent opening in Jeddah last month has already resulted in an increase in the number of visa applications received for Belgium from the Kingdom. We hope the Al Khobar Centre will also generate the same interest, and we thank VFS Global for their support. This will undoubtedly strengthen the relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Belgium.” The first Visa Application Centre for Schengen visas to Belgium started its operations in December 2016 from the capital city of Riyadh. Commenting on the new centres for visas to Belgium, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO—Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “The number of applications for Schengen visas applied in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has increased significantly and continuously over the years. The positive economic environment in the Kingdom and the high level of economic growth has created more opportunities for business …

Denmark, in partnership with VFS Global, has announced the opening of its Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Kuwait. With the launch of the new centre, applicants will no longer need to visit the Embassy of Denmark. Instead, they can conveniently submit their visa applications with ease at VFS centre in Kuwait. During the official inauguration of the VAC in Kuwait, H E Ole Emil Moesby, Ambassador of Denmark to the State of Kuwait, said, “The VAC in Kuwait will facilitate much easier visa application procedures for anyone living in Kuwait who needs a Schengen visa to visit Denmark. Previously, applicants had to travel to Danish missions elsewhere in the region to apply for a visa, which made travel to Denmark somewhat cumbersome and expensive. More recently, we’ve noticed that it is not just Denmark that tourists are looking to explore. There has also been a steady increase in tourists interested in visiting Iceland, which is another great travel destination within easy reach of Denmark.” Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “As a hub for global trade and tourism, Denmark has many drawcards for tourists and business travellers alike and we are pleased to add this great location to our ever-growing list of destinations in the State of Kuwait. As a preferred outsourced visa-processing provider to governments across the world, we are proud to build on this legacy and will continue to provide convenient services, which open up more of the world to our valued customers.”

VFS Global has opened new Slovakia Visa Application Centre in Kuwait city in the state of Kuwait. The new centre offers residents of the state of Kuwait travelling to the Central European country greater convenience in accessing professionally-managed visa application submission services. In a statement, VFS Global said the Slovakia Visa Application Centre in the state of Kuwait is the first to be opened in the Middle East region and the fifth Slovakia Visa Application Centre to launch globally. Some of the key features of the Slovakia Visa Application Centre in the state of Kuwait include longer operating hours, professionally-trained staff fluent in the local language, an automated queue-management system for seamless submission procedures and a premium lounge for a more personalised application submission experience. Inaugurating the new Visa Application Centre, Martin Kardoš, Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in the state of Kuwait, said, “We believe that in close cooperation with professionals from VFS Global, Kuwaiti and other residents will find services at the new Visa Application Centre more comfortable, helpful and convenient to submit their visa requests.” Under the contract signed with the Slovak Republic, VFS Global will provide outsourced visa processing services in the state of Kuwait, Belarus, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Palestine, P R China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia, through 38 Slovakia Visa Application Centres. Also commenting on the launch of the new Slovakia Visa Application Centre in the state of Kuwait, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “With the opening of the new centre, our steadfast endeavour is to provide residents with seamless visa application submission services in a …