VFS Global, the visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, is reopening visa application centres in select Indian cities. The services have been resumed following approvals from the respective embassies/consulates in India and local authorities.
Customers will have to mandatorily schedule an appointment online, through vfsglobal.com, prior to visiting the visa application centre.
The list of countries that are starting acceptance of applications are:
| Country | Visa categories | Cities | Date of resumption |
| United Kingdom | All visa categories/ passport collection | Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Kolkata | July 6, 2020 |
| Ireland | Student and long-stay | Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Kolkata | July 6, 2020 |
| Italy | Re-entry visa only | New Delhi | July 3, 2020 |
| Belarus | All visa categories | New Delhi | July 1, 2020 |
| Denmark | Residence permit, employment, dependents, approval cases | New Delhi | June 29, 2020 |
| Norway | Residence permit | New Delhi | June 29, 2020 |
| Portugal | E6 for holders of expired Portuguese residence card, D6 for holders of expired family reunification D6 visas | New Delhi | June 29, 2020 |
| South Korea | Long term applications only | New Delhi | June 29, 2020 |
| Dominican Republic | Work/Resident/Business visa | New Delhi | June 29, 2020 |
| UAE (DVPC – e-visas for Emirates passengers, only for travel from July 7) | All visa categories | Online | June 25, 2020 |
| Turkey | All visa categories | New Delhi | June 22, 2020 |
Centres in Lucknow, Goa, Jaipur, Bandra-Kurla Complex centre in Mumbai, Gurugram, Electronic City and Whitefield centres in Bengaluru remain shut. Customers in these locations can book new appointments at the nearest available centre.
All other visa application centres in south Asia remain closed until further notice.
Safety initiatives adopted by VFS Global include:
- Customers and employees at visa application centres have to wear face masks and gloves and undergo temperature checks.
- Disinfecting high contact surfaces, use of hand sanitisers and social distancing will be followed across all visa centres.
- Those who wish to avoid visiting public places can use the ‘Visa At Your Doorstep’ service for application submission. VFS Global staff will visit the customer’s location of choice (home, office, etc.) to complete the visa application submission process and/or biometric enrolment if needed.
VFS Global has set up a dedicated webpage, vfsglobal.com/covid-19 for Covid-19 customer advisories.
