Indore: City likely to get state’s maiden facility for UK and Schengen visa soon

Indore: In what could be great news to citizens, especially those who fly frequently to UK and Schengen countries, they no more have to rush to Mumbai or New Delhi for procuring a visa for these countries, as the visa availing agency for these countries, VFS Global is exploring the possibility to set up its maiden office in the city, where mobile biometric procedures would be completed.

Following the 9/11 attack in USA, biometric verification of the adult visa seekers has been made mandatory by USA, UK and European countries (also commonly known as Schengen countries, a club of 26 nations). Majority of the countries except USA has outsourced availing visa to applicants following completing biometric verification to VFS Global.

Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, VFS is the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist company for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The company manages administrative and non-judgmental tasks related to visa, passport, identity management and other citizen services for its client governments enabling them to focus entirely on the critical task of assessment. The company is serving 58 client governments in 37 countries with 2530 application Centers, including India. Beside to other counties VFS India also avails visa for UK and Schengen countries.

A top level source in travel industry informed that “After getting overwhelming response from foreign travellers of the city and other fliers, VFS India is exploring the possibility to open its office in the city. Though, in order to help the travellers the company has started organising mobile biometric camps in the city from last one and half years and it has successfully organised more than 50 such camps at offices of the different travel agencies, where more than 500 passengers have used the facility so far.”

“Very recently one of such camp was organised at Jose Travels on March 5, where 30 passengers got it done their biometric verification. The officers of thee VFS India had hinted that they were exploring the possibility to have their full-fledged office in the city, where bio-metric verification, where initially biometric verification for UK and Schengen countries would be done. Visa applications for Australia, New Zealand and Canada will not be processed here,” the source added.

Notably, however UAS has not outsourced the visa processing, as it conduct the process and interview of the visa seeker on its own. As far as Asian countries are concerned they have extended the visa on arrival facility, thus travellers do not require having visa before starting the journey.

Sources said that VFS facility in the city will save valuable time and about Rs 10,000 who would earlier have to rush to Mumbai or Delhi for getting the visa. It may be noted that recognising the fact that highest number foreign travellers fly from the city, the ministry of external affairs had opened Passport Seva Laghu Kendra (PSLK) in the city in February last year.

After getting good response in mobile biometric camps, VFS India is exploring the possibility of opening their maiden Visa facility centre for UK and Schengen countries in the state in Indore. In last one and half years, VFS has organised more than 50 mobile biometric camps in the city. President, Travel Agents Association of India (MP-CG chapter)