Belgium extends visa service in India
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The Belgian State has extended its Visa Application Centre to four new locations in India.
With commercial partner VFS Global, the visa services are now extended to Ahmedabad and Pune in western India, while Chennai and Hyderabad centres will open in south India. Catering to the growing demand of Belgium bound travellers in the region, this strategic move is aimed at offering new services, facilities and benefits to visa applicants and boost tourism, trade and investments, and bilateral ties with India.
The announcement was made at a press conference held on the occasion of opening the new Belgium visa application centre in Chennai. Speaking on the occasion, Karl Van den Bossche, consul general of Belgium in Mumbai said, “We are bringing our service closer to the public and business community, to enhance the user friendliness. We strive to return passports within three working days. With this initiative, Belgium further intensifies its cultural and economic ties with India.”
In 2012, nearly 34,000 visa applications were received from travellers in Western and Southern India by the Belgian Consulate in Mumbai.