The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi recently signed its contract with VFS Global, mandating the organisation to provide Italy visa services in India and Nepal for a further period of four years. VFS Global commenced visa services for the Embassy of Italy and its consulates in India in 2004, with three Visa Application Centres. Under this extension, VFS Global will expand these operations to 27 States across India.
From this year, in addition to accepting visa applications for Italy, VFS Global will provide three new services, specially designed to make the visa application experience more seamless for Italy visa applicants. Residents of India who have previously enrolled their biometrics for a Schengen visa, will now have the option to submit their documents through the new VFS Global Drop Box facility by simply collating their required documents, sealing them in an envelope, and dropping them into the box provided at the centre, for processing.
The Drop Box facility, which will be available at 28 locations in India, will provide applicants the comfort of submitting their visa applications closest to the place of their residence, without having to book an appointment or visit the counter to complete the process.
Lorenzo Angeloni, Ambassador of Italy to India and Nepal stated, “The four-year extension of our partnership with VFS Global in India and Nepal is marked by multiple innovations. More services, new visa centres, and user-friendly technology, will better serve the needs of the growing Indian and Nepalese public interested in doing business, studying, and visiting Italy.”
Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global said, “We are honoured to have a long-standing relationship with Italy and the award of this contract is a testimonial of the trust reposed by the Embassy of Italy in VFS Global yet again. We are excited to bring innovative solutions to applicants desirous of traveling to Italy by providing them with options that enable them to have the most seamless visa application experience.”
Italy has traditionally been a popular destination for Indian visitors, with numbers growing year on year. In 2017 alone, over 100,000 applications were submitted for Italy visas from India.
