Pact to make processing of Austria’s visa in Oman easier

Muscat: The Embassy of Austria in Oman, and VFS Global, the world’s largest visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, have signed a contract for the latter to provide visa services in the country on behalf of the Embassy.

The Austria Visa Application Centre in Muscat was inaugurated by Christian Brunmayr, Ambassador, Austrian Embassy in Muscat, on Wednesday.

This is the first time that the Embassy of Austria in Oman has outsourced its visa services in the country. Prior to this, Omani nationals needed to submit their visa applications at the Spain Visa Application Centre in the capital city. VFS Global is represented in Oman by Khimji’s House of Travel.

Atul Marwah, Head–Middle East & North Africa, VFS Global, said, “We are excited to extend our long-standing partnership with Austria to the country of Oman, bringing our best-in-class visa services to the residents in Oman. VFS Global appreciates the constant support and faith the Embassy of Austria has placed in us in various countries where we offer services on their behalf, and we look forward to welcoming the enthusiastic travellers from Oman to our Visa Application Centre.”

Customers submitting their visa applications through VFS Global can also select from a range of optional services to further ease their visa application process, including end-to-end personalised assistance in a Premium Lounge, form filling assistance, photocopy, and photograph services on-site, SMS updates on the progress of the visa application at every stage, and courier return of processed passports to the customers’ doorstep.

To ensure a safe environment for employees and customers, VFS Global has established standardised protective measures to be followed across the centres, including specific social distancing and sanitation mandates. All customers are subjected to body temperature checks at the entrance to assess their health conditions. Any customer exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, cough, and breathing difficulties will not be permitted to enter the centre and will be requested to return once the health condition improves. Additionally, all customers and VFS Global employees are required to wear a face mask within the centre.