Northeast Gets First Visa Application Centre in Guwahati for 14 Countries

DIBRUGARH, Oct. 15: Residents of the Northeast can now apply for visas to 14 countries from Guwahati, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurating the region’s first visa application centre in the city on Thursday.

The facility, operated by VFS Global, is expected to ease travel-related procedures for applicants who previously had to visit Kolkata or Delhi to access visa services.

The centre will process visa applications for Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malta for D-visa applications, Morocco, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Speaking at the inauguration, Sarma said the facility addressed a long-standing demand of people in the region and would make international travel more convenient.

“The centre will fulfil a long-standing demand of people of the region. Earlier, people had to travel to Kolkata or Delhi for visas, but they can now get it at this centre,” he said.

Sarma said the centre would forward applications to the respective embassies for processing and approval. Passports bearing the required visas would subsequently be available for collection at the Guwahati facility, eliminating the need for applicants to travel outside the region for this purpose.

Representatives of the diplomatic missions of Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Italy and France attended the inauguration.

Yummi Talwar, chief operating officer for South Asia at VFS Global, said the new centre would improve access to visa services for people across the Northeast.

“We are pleased to inaugurate our new visa application centre in Guwahati. It will strengthen access of people of the Northeast to visa services,” Talwar said.

She also thanked the Assam government and the partner diplomatic missions for their support and confidence in the company.

The opening of the centre is expected to benefit students, tourists, business travellers and other applicants by reducing the time and expense involved in travelling to other cities for visa-related formalities.

Assam ministers Ajanta Neog and Charan Boro were also present at the inauguration.