Category Archives: Visa

Indian nationals were the largest group to receive UK visas for Visit, Study and Work categories in the year ending June 2024, said HE Lindy Cameron CB OBE, British High Commissioner to India at the inauguration of the new state-of-art UK visa application facility operated by VFS Global in Delhi on 12 November 2024. UK visa customers from India will now enjoy a smoother process. At VFS Global UK Visa Application Centres (VACs), biometrics will be enrolled first, followed by document scanning for non-digital customers. This change reduces wait times and enhances service under the global UK visa services contract secured by VFS Global in December 2023. Many VACs have also relocated or upgraded to state-of-the-art facilities across India. Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India said: “The UK-India partnership is built on millions of personal connections, shared dreams, and collective aspirations. I’m delighted to launch the refurbished VFS Visa Application Centre for UK visa and passport applications in Delhi. We’re introducing significant improvements in our visa services across India, further strengthening our already excellent visa offering for Indian nationals. The vast majority of Visit, Work and Study visa applications we receive are processed within 3 weeks and there are no caps on visa appointments.” Matt Heath, Visits & ETA Network Deputy Director, UK Visas and Immigration, remarked, “I am delighted to be here, in Delhi, to inaugurate this visa application centre, we extend our sincere thanks to VFS for their outstanding support in facilitating close to a million visa applications for Indian nationals in the recent year ending June 2024. For the last two years, UKVI has consistently met our customer service standards, making visa decisions for visit, work …

In a first-of-its-kind initiative to attract more foreign tourists to India, the Ministry of Tourism is all set to launch the Chalo India promotional campaign on the sidelines of the ongoing World Travel Mart in London. Under the initiative, the government will allow one lakh free e-visas for “friends” of diaspora members. Five foreign nationals nominated by each Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder on a special portal will be eligible for a gratis e-visa (visa granted without fees).

Thailand has extended its visa-free entry policy for Indian citizens indefinitely. Under the program, Indian citizens can enjoy a hassle-free entry into Thailand for a stay of up to 30 days without obtaining a visa beforehand. As per reports, 1 million Indian visitors travelled to Thailand between January and June this year.

VFS Global has worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since 2010 and under the new agreement will continue to provide Schengen short terms visa services and Residence permit services including biometric enrolment in 32 countries (including India) across 10 regions. Since 2010, VFS Global has handled more than 8.5 million visa applications on behalf of the Government of Finland. Present were several esteemed dignitaries including Jussi Tanner, Director General Consular Services, Ari Uusikartano, Senior Ministerial Adviser and Director of Information and Documentation at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Zubin Karkaria, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland said: “We anticipate a seamless and professional collaboration with VFS Global. In our tender, we especially highlighted the global coverage of the outsourced services, quality of biometrics and technical capacity, quality control, risk management and customer service. The external service provider receives applications, collects biometric data and application fees and forwards them to the missions. It does not make visa decisions. Visa decisions continue to be the responsibility of Foreign Ministry officials.” Jiten Vyas, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development, VFS Global, said: “VFS Global is delighted that we will continue to serve the Government of Finland as their trusted service provider. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and welcome the opportunity to renew our services. We look forward to offering visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions, and a seamless application process across 10 regions globally.”

VFS Global has worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since 2010 and under the new agreement will continue to provide Schengen short terms visa services and Residence permit services including biometric enrolment in 32 countries (including India) across 10 regions. Since 2010, VFS Global has handled more than 8.5 million visa applications on behalf of the Government of Finland. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland said, “We anticipate a seamless and professional collaboration with VFS Global. In our tender, we especially highlighted the global coverage of the outsourced services, quality of biometrics and technical capacity, quality control, risk management and customer service. The external service provider receives applications, collects biometric data and application fees and forwards them to the missions. It does not make visa decisions. Visa decisions continue to be the responsibility of Foreign Ministry officials.” Jiten Vyas, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development, VFS Global, said, “VFS Global is delighted that we will continue to serve the Government of Finland as their trusted service provider. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and welcome the opportunity to renew our services. We look forward to offering visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions, and a seamless application process across 10 regions globally.” 10 regions worldwide where these services will continue to operate are South Asia, the Americas, Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, Europe, CIS and Russia. VFS Global is responsible for managing the front-end administrative duties only. This includes the collection of application forms and required documents as per the checklist as well as the enrolment of biometrics. VFS Global does not play a …

New Indonesia Electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) service to commence in the first half of December 2024. Dedicated email and live support to be available in seven languages – English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, German, and French. Multilingual website to be available in seven languages – English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, German, and French. Group booking facility to be available for the benefit of travel trade and conventions. The Directorate General of Immigration under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Indonesia has appointed VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions, as the exclusive private service provider for Electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) to make the process seamless, promote inbound tourism, increase investments into Indonesia, and enhance overall traveller experience. VFS Global’s new e-VoA platform, set to commence in the first half of December 2024, will be available for nationals of the 97 countries eligible for e-VoA, including India. Travellers will soon be able to enjoy a quicker and smoother visa application journey through VFS Global by completing the entire process online before departure and receiving a pre-approved e-VoA. The e-VoA can be easily obtained by visiting VFS Global website, submitting all the required documents, and paying the necessary fees online prior to travel. Once the application is submitted, travellers can receive their visas on their email before departure. With the payment having been made online, travellers can enjoy a smoother and faster entry experience through E-gates or immigration counters. Silmy Karim, Director General, Immigration of Indonesia, said, “The Directorate General of Immigration offers the latest digital solutions that enhance the experience for foreign nationals who wish to visit Indonesia. In our …

Government is exploring visa-on-arrival for countries that send the biggest numbers of tourists to India, said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Tourism. “We are also working with the MEA to explore ways to engage with top markets to promote India as a global destination,” he added.

Five ministries of Government of India will work with states and UTs to release a masterlist of tourism destinations for development, announced Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, MOT, GoI, on the World Tourism Day. The Gol will give free visa to first 1 lakh foreign visitors to India under ‘Chalo India’ drive.

As per CRISIL’s report, India’s inbound is still healing from the pandemic, with FTA at 90 per cent of 2019 levels in H1 2024. Though, forex eamings have surged by 23 per cent, indicating higher spending per tourist. India must simplify visa process to attract inbound in comparison to global numbers.

Maintaining its trusted partnership with the Thai government, VFS Global, the leading outsourcing and technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions globally, has once again secured the contract to handle visa applications for Thailand from India. The company will cater to travellers from India across visa categories through visa application centres and drop off centres as per the jurisdiction of the Royal Thai Embassy in Delhi and Royal Thai Consulate General in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai. VFS Global has been working with the Government of Thailand for nearly two decades and has handled over 2.1 million Thai visa applications since 2005. Applications are accepted at VFS Global visa application centres in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune from Monday to Friday. More details are available on the website – https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/tha/attend-centre VFS Global also offers drop box services to tier 2 cities such as Agra, Amritsar, Dehradun, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Guwahati, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Jamshedpur and Siliguri. “The renewal of the Thai visa contract highlights VFS Global’s business excellence, dedication to enhancing customer experience, and the strong trust from the 69 governments we partner with, including Thailand,” said Yummi Talwar, COO – South Asia, VFS Global.