Greece in partnership with VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for diplomatic missions worldwide, announced the opening of two Visa Application Centres in cities of Riyadh and Al Khobar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Greece also opened it’s very first visa application centre in Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman.

 

The centres started accepting visa applications for Greece from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman from January 2019. With the launch of these new centres applicants no longer need to visit the Embassy of Greece and instead need to submit their visa applications at the VFS Global centres in these two countries.

 

During the official inauguration of the Visa Application Centre in Riyadh on 22 January 2019, H. E. Mr. Ioannis Taghis, Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Greece, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said,” The number of travellers to Greece from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman is growing rapidly. Thus, we partnership with VFS Global to provide enhanced visa services to applicants from Riyadh, Al Khobar and Muscat. I am confident that the applicants will find value and benefit from launching of these new centres.”   

 

Commenting on the launch of the new Visa Application Centres, Mr.  Vinay Malhotra , Regional Group COO – Middle East, South Asia & P.R. China, VFS Global, said 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman is witnessing a growth in number of travellers to Greece for leisure and business. The strategic decision to open VFS Global Visa Application Centres in Riyadh, Al Khobar and Muscat was made to bring travellers greater accessibility to seamless visa application services in comfortable and efficiently managed facilities.” 

 

Each year, approximately 6,000 travellers from Saudi Arabia, and 800 from Oman, visit Greece, a holiday destination that continues to grow in popularity. VFS Global has been associated with the Client Government of Greece since 2007 and presently serves applicants through a vast network of Visa Application Centres across Armenia, Bahrain, China, India, Turkey, UAE, amongst others.

 

Key features of the centres include:

• Access to the Premium Lounge facility with personalised service by dedicated staff

• Extended operating hours enabling visitors to submit applications at their time of convenience 

• Doorstep delivery of passports

• SMS notifications on application status  

• Online tracking of application status 

• Dedicated website for easy access to end-to-end information including visa categories, requirements, document checklists and applicable fees 

• Dedicated contact centre and email support to answer queries and track application status