Muscat, Oman: HE. Thomas F. Schneider, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Oman today attended the opening of a new Visa Application Centre in the country’s capital, Muscat, which will be operated by VFS Global, a leading outsourcing and technology services specialist for diplomatic missions worldwide.

The new visa centre which went live on April 4 2018, will receive and process applications for Schengen visa to Germany as well as to Iceland, providing applicants with enhanced convenience in visa processing services and biometric enrolment formalities.

The VFS Global German Visa Application Centre in Oman is located at Level-1, Tilal Complex, MGM, Dohat Al Adab Street, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Visa applicants can direct their queries and appointment requests to the helpline +968 22507093 or communicate with the centre at info.germanyoman@vfshelpline.com. The VFS Germany Oman website is http://www.vfsglobal.com/Germany/Oman

Commenting on the new visa application centre, HE. Thomas F. Schneider, Ambassador of Germany to Oman, said: Our cooperation with VFS Global offers visa applicants all advantages of a private service provider for swiftly filing their applications while the Embassy can concentrate its own resources on the expeditious processing and issuing of visa.

VFS Global is mandated by the Federal Republic of Germany to handle visa applications including collecting biometric data across 10 countries in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) under the terms of the contract valid up to 2023.

It is anticipated that VFS Global will be handling approximately 200,000 visa applications for Germany in the region annually.  Apart from the Middle East, the company already operates visa application centers for Germany in nine countries across the globe.

Mr.  Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO for Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “The German  Visa Application Centre in Oman has been opened under a mandate from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany to VFS Global to operate visa application centres across the MENA region. We have already opened German visa centres in various Gulf countries in the recent past  with the aim of providing seamless services to visa applicants.  VFS Global has a non-judgmental role in visa processing encompassing initial processing of visa applications submitted by prospective travellers to Germany. The decision on granting visas is taken by the German Embassy in Oman.” 

The German Visa Application Centre in Oman will be run by well trained professionals.  The application process in the center will take a maximum 40 minutes. “We are confident that Omani and non-Omani travellers will be delighted at the convenience, efficiency and ease of access VFS Global offers to its customers,” Mr. Vinay Malhotra added.

The VFS Global Visa Application Centre for Germany will provide secure and time-efficient processing of entry permit requirements in a friendly ambience. Applicants can also opt for the comfort and privacy of a Premium Lounge.

Some of the key features of the centre include convenience in terms of location, automated queue governance for smooth flow of applicants and a dedicated website for easy access to information including visa categories, requirements, check-lists and applicable fees. Apart from these, VFS Global staff is well trained in secure handling of passports, documents and personal information. Door-step delivery of passport is also yet another service VFS Global offers.

About VFS Global

VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. With 2587 Application Centres, operations in 137 countries across five continents and over 167 million applications processed as on 31 March 2018, VFS Global is the trusted partner of 58 client governments. VFS Global’s worldwide operations are certified ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management System, ISO 27001:2013 for Information Security Management System and ISO 14001:2004 for Environmental Management System. For more information, please visit www.vfsglobal.com

© Press Release 2018