MoFA, Finland Awards VFS Global Visa and Resident Permit Services Tender

Dubai: VFS Global has worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since 2010 and under the new agreement will continue to provide Schengen short terms visa services and Residence permit services including biometric enrolment in 32 countries across 10 regions.

Since 2010, VFS Global has handled more than 8.5 million visa applications on behalf of the Government of Finland.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland said: “We anticipate a seamless and professional collaboration with VFS Global. In our tender, we especially highlighted the global coverage of the outsourced services, quality of biometrics and technical capacity, quality control, risk management and customer service. The external service provider receives applications, collects biometric data and application fees and forwards them to the missions. It does not make visa decisions. Visa decisions continue to be the responsibility of Foreign Ministry officials.”

Jiten Vyas, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development, VFS Global, said: “VFS Global is delighted that we will continue to serve the Government of Finland as their trusted service provider. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and welcome the opportunity to renew our services. We look forward to offering visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions, and a seamless application process across 10 regions globally.”

10 regions worldwide where these services will continue to operate – South Asia, the Americas, Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, Europe, CIS and Russia.

VFS Global is responsible for managing the front-end administrative duties only. This includes the collection of application forms and required documents as per the checklist as well as the enrollment of biometrics. VFS Global does not play a part in the decision-making process nor does it possess insight into the final decision made by the embassy/consulate.