In order to draw more visitors from India, Belgium extended its Visa Application Centre services to four Indian cities : Ahmedabad and Pune in Western India, and in Chennai and Hyderabad in Southern India, in collaboration with its commercial partner VFS Global. The move is aimed at offering new services, facilities and benefits to visa applicants, and boost tourism, trade and investments, and bilateral ties with India.
The announcement was made at a press conference held on the occasion of opening the new Belgium Visa Application Centre in Chennai. Karl Van den Bossche, Consul General of Belgium in Mumbai and Vishal Jairath, Regional Head – South Asia, VFS Global made the joint announcement at the conference. Also present at the conference was Koen Gabriels, Consul and Head of Visa Operations at the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, the Consul General said: “We are bringing our service closer to the public and business community, to enhance the user friendliness… With this initiative, Belgium further intensifies its cultural and economic ties with India. Next steps are the opening of a Consulate General in Chennai and the visit of a large business delegation headed by HRH Prince Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium, to New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai on November 23-29. Also Belgium’s festival Europalia, one of Europe’s largest cultural events, will focus on India this year.”
In 2012, nearly 34,000 visa applications were received from travellers in Western and Southern India by the Belgian Consulate in Mumbai. This increase over the last few years in Belgium bound travellers has encouraged the new initiative for expansion in the regions.
Jairath said, “It is our privilege to partner and provide services to the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai to facilitate visa application process for travellers in India. We are committed to provide highly efficient and convenient services to all applicants applying for a Belgian visa in the region. VFS Global is privileged to be associated with the Government of Belgium in India since 2006, apart from nine other countries globally. This extension of our association with the Belgian Government reflects their faith in our abilities, and we are sure this will go a long way in forging a longstanding partnership with VFS Global.”
The VFS Global operated Schengen Visa Application Centres (SVACs) at Ahmedabad, Chennai and Hyderabad will accept visa applications for Belgium from applicants in the regions. The centre in Pune will also commence operations shortly. Similar services are also offered in Mumbai and Bengaluru by the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai, and will now accept visa applications from applicants residing in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, apart from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa through its extended network operated by VFS Global.
