DRMumbai: VFS Global has launched the Mobile Biometrics service for Italian visa customers across India, enabling them to submit applications, documents, and enrol biometrics from the comfort of their office or any location of their choice, making it more convenient than ever before.
This ‘doorstep’ service can be delivered to individuals and groups living in all cities in India. A team of trained VFS Global staff will visit the customer at the location of their choice to collect their visa application and enrol biometric data. They will also be available to assist with any visa application queries, ensuring the application process is fast, convenient and stress-free.
Submissions from large tour groups, business delegates and school trips wishing to travel to Italy, will especially benefit from this new service, as the applicants will not be required to visit a Visa Application Centre to sumbit their applications.
The documents, once processed with the visa decision will be returned by courier to the customer’s desired location. The Mobile Biometrics service is optional and applicants will have to pay an additional fee.
Rise in travel to Italy
The service has been introduced in view of the rise in travel to Italy from India. According to the Embassy of Italy in India, around 555,000 travellers from India visited Italy in 2019, an increase of 15% over the previous year.
Vincenzo de Luca, the Ambassador of Italy, said, “The launch of this new service completes the rich offer of Visa services for the Indian public. It will allow companies and individuals to submit their visa applications for Italy literally ‘in house’.”
Ambassador de Luca adds, “In just one year, the Italian visa offer in India has been thoroughly updated. The mobile collection of biometric data is in fact added to the widest VAC network for collecting visa applications in India, the option of presenting the applications via dropboxes pan-India, the free VFS Global Italy app to monitor in real time the status of the application, and three exclusive Casa Italia Visa lounges in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata”.
Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group Chief Operating Officer – South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, and Americas, VFS Global, said, “While VFS Global has an extensive physical network of Visa Application Centres in 17 cities across India, this service exponentially increases the reach of visa services to every corner of the country. This optional service was developed keeping in mind customers’ demand for flexibility and superior experience, allowing them to submit applications, documents and enroll biometrics, all from the comfort of their home or office.”
Apart from Italy, VFS Global offers the Mobile Biometrics Service (also called the Visa At Your Doorstep service) for 17 other governments in India, namely: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the UK.
