Guwahati gets northeast’s first visa application centre, services available for 14 countries

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, October 15 inaugurated the Northeast’s first visa application centre in Guwahati, offering applicants from Assam and other northeastern states access to visa application services for 14 countries.

Established by VFS Global, which provides visa application services on behalf of governments and diplomatic missions, the centre is expected to reduce the need for applicants to travel outside the region to submit their visa applications for international travel.

The facility will accept visa applications for Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Morocco, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The centre is expected to cater to people travelling abroad for tourism, education, business and other purposes, making visa application services more accessible to residents across the Northeast.

Tourism Minister Ajanta Neog, Transport Minister Charan Boro and Yusmi Talwar, VFS Global’s Chief Executive Officer for South Asia, attended the inauguration. Representatives of the diplomatic missions of Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Italy and France were also present.

The opening of the facility is expected to strengthen Guwahati’s position as a regional hub for international travel-related services, given its role as a major commercial and administrative centre in the Northeast.

However, the centre will facilitate the visa application process, while decisions on granting or rejecting visas will remain with the respective countries and their authorised authorities.

Information on appointments, documentation requirements and service charges will be available through VFS Global’s authorised channels.