Residents of Goa planning a visit to Cyprus can now apply for their visas at the new VFS Global Cyprus Visa Application Centre in the city of Panjim. The centre brings Cyprus visa services closer to home, eliminating the need for applicants from Goa to travel to a neighbouring state to submit their applications.
The centre in Goa was inaugurated by his excellency Demetrios A. Theophylactou, high commissioner of Cyprus to India, in a ceremony held on February 16, 2018. He said, “It is a pleasure to inaugurate the Cyprus Visa Application Centre in Goa, operated by VFS Global. This is one out of 16 VFS Global centres serving Cyprus in India, and the 15th Centre that is being formally inaugurated. The opening also signifies a steady increase in visa related queries. Consequently, this centre would further expand and enhance visa services and promote people-to-people contacts, thus contributing to our bilateral relations. Goa, like Cyprus, is a major tourist destination; therefore, the centre fulfills a vital service with respect to the provision of information and guidelines to applicants who intend on visiting Cyprus, not only for tourism but also for business or study purposes. The centre would work in close cooperation with the Consular Section of the High Commission to achieve the goal of timely and efficient issuance of visas.”
Vinay Malhotra, chief operating officer – Middle East and South Asia, VFS Global said, “VFS Global has served the Government of Cyprus in India since 2015, and the expansion of our services on their behalf to 16 cities in India is a testament of their faith in our ability to offer applicants best in class visa services. We are pleased to be bringing this expertise to the residents of Goa, and offering the applicants here, a smooth and seamless visa application experience.”
Key features of the Cyprus Visa Application Centres include:
· Professional staff with local language capability, dedicated to handle visa queries
· Dedicated website to provide information on visa categories, fees and other application related details
· Call Centre and email support to answer queries
· Online tracking of application status
· Convenient and secure courier return of visa documents to an address of choice