Finland awards global tender to VFS for visa services

Mumbai: VFS Global on Wednesday said it has been awarded a global tender by the Finland government to offer Schengen short-term visa services and residency permit services, including biometric enrolment in India and 31 other countries across 10 regions.

Since 2010, VFS Global has handled more than 8.5 million visa applications on behalf of the Finnish government, the company said in a statement.

The 10 regions worldwide where these services will continue to operate include South Asia, the Americas, Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, Europe, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and Russia.

"We are delighted that we will continue to serve the Government of Finland as their trusted service provider. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and welcome the opportunity to renew our services.

"We look forward to offering visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions, and a seamless application process across 10 regions globally," VFS Global Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development Jiten Vyas said.