MADRID: The Embassy of India in Spain and VFS Global have signed a four-year contract to manage India visa processing services in three cities in Spain: Madrid, Barcelona and Las Palmas. The new centres in these cities are expected to launch in April 2017. VFS Global won the contract in July 2016 but were delayed due to a petition filed by BLS International disputing its disqualification from the bid process.
Last month the Delhi High Court dismissed BLS’s petition, ruling in favour of the Indian Government’s decision to award the contract to VFS Global, a Kuoni Group company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
The Indian diaspora in Spain is expected to significantly benefit from the new centres, which will also offer a wide range of consular services as well. Earlier, applicants were required to travel to Madrid and apply at the Indian Embassy for these services.
Anirudh Singh, Head – Europe, VFS Global said,“As per our exclusive arrangement with the Indian Embassy in Madrid, we plan the open 3 new application centres in Spain. These centres will accept visa, passport and consular applications in the country.
Recently, in August 2016, the company successfully won the Government of Belgium contract through a competitive process, to launch Belgium Visa Application Centres in 11 countries - Saudi Arabia, China, UAE, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Palestine, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
This win was followed in December with the award of the Austria Global tender involving the set-up of Visa Application Centres in 119 locations around the world.
