HCM City to house European visa application centre

December 07, 2012 | 11:07

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A new Schengen visa application centre will open in Ho Chi Minh City after the New Year.

Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Lorenzo Angeloni makes the announcement of the new Schengen visa application centre, to open in Ho Chi Minh City early January 2013

The embassies of Italy and Spain in Vietnam announced this on December 5 and Italian ambassador to Vietnam Lorenzo Angeloni said the move aimed at providing a high level customer service to applicants for their visa process.

The two embassies are collaborating with London-based VFS Global, a worldwide outsourcing and technology services company for diplomatic missions and governments, to set up the centre.

Angeloni said the embassies had signed an agreement for outsourcing Italy and Spain visa processing in Ho Chi Minh City to VFS Global to quicken the visa application process.

Antonio Bretones, head of Spain’s commercial office in Vietnam, said: “We’d like to make the whole process of applying for a visa to Spain easier for the citizens in Ho Chi Minh City, in order to encourage the exchanges between the two countries.”

The new visa centre, at Resco Tower, 4th floor, 94-96 Nguyen Du, District 1, will start operations January 3. The submission timing is 8:30-12:00 and 13:00-16:00, from Monday to Friday.

Loren Dsouza, VFS Global head for Southeast Asia and Pacific, said his company would be responsible for accepting and processing applications for Schengen visas from applicants residing across Vietnam.

VFS Global boasts it has 775 visa application centres around the world.

Caption: Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Lorenzo Angeloni makes the announcement of the new Schengen visa application centre, to open in Ho Chi Minh City early January 2013.

By Tuong Thuy

vir.com.vn

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