Saudi Arabia visa processing centres reopen

RIYADH, Dec 02 (Arab News): Ahead of international travel restarting in Saudi Arabia next year, centres for processing work and travel visa applications have begun to re-open for business across the Kingdom, after the disruption caused by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We have seen a gradual rise in the number of our Visa Application Centres (VACs) re-opening globally, including Saudi Arabia, which has been very reassuring for us. Out of 28 governments that we serve in the Kingdom, we have resumed operations for 20 countries as of November 2020," Sumanth Kapoor, regional head for Saudi Arabia at VFS Global, told Arab News.

VFS Global is the world's largest visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. Headquartered in Switzerland, the company has 3,430 VACs in 144 countries across five continents, and as of September 2020 it has processed more than 225 million applications.

Kapoor said that while VFS Global's business has begun to return to normal, it was important to note that the official re-opening of VACs is dependent on approval from both local authorities and the embassy in question.

Furthermore, being able to apply for a visa does not necessarily mean that an applicant will automatically be able to travel to their desired country. "We suggest that all travellers check official government advisories of the destination country and airlines' requirements, so they are aware of the current status concerning international travel," he said.