Abu Dhabi: VFS Global launched visa application centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for the Embassy of the Czech Republic, it was announced today.
Residents who wish to travel to the Czech Republic can visit the visa centres located in Shining Tower in Abu Dhabi or Wafi Mall in Dubai to obtain their visas.
Alexander Sporys, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the UAE, said he was pleased to join the other groups of countries, which are pursuing t outsourcing of visa services for the benefit of all travellers.
Speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the press conference, Ondrej Soukup, Consul and Deputy Head of Mission of the Czech Republic, said: “One of the reasons why we decided to launch this centre was due to people’s growing demand for applying for a visa. We felt that we wouldn’t be able to meet the rising demand only from the embassy, which encouraged us to launch this centre.
“We’ve had about 3,000 applications this year, and with the launch of this centre, we anticipate that the number will go up to at least 4,000.”
Ajit Alexander, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Middle East and North Africa, VFS Global, said: “We are also hoping to open similar centres for the Czech Republic across Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, among others.”
One of the centre’s key highlights is the fact that it will be solely dedicated to handle applicants’ visas. It will also feature a number of professional staff members with sufficient language capabilities to handle queries and applications.
Another advantage is the centres’ convenient and centrally accessed locations, which Alexandar believes will encourage a higher number of potential travellers to apply for visas.
“We are committed to increasing efficiencies and streamlining the visa application process for travellers to this destination. We are honoured to partner with the Embassy of Czech Republic in the UAE and are confident that our solutions will enhance the overall experience of applicants,” he added.
VFS Global is the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions, with over 1,837 application centres operating across 122 countries. It has processed more than 110 million applications up to September 30 this year.
Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News.
