Belgium is hopeful of setting up its Consulate General in Chennai before the end of the current year.
A visit of a large business delegation headed by the Crown Prince of Belgium, Prince Philippe, to New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai is also set to happen in November, said Van den Bossche, Consul General of Belgium in Mumbai.
To cater to the growing demand of Belgium-bound travellers in the South, Belgium, along with its associate VFS Global, has extended its visa service centre to southern India. It has launched two new centres in Hyderabad and Chennai.
Announcing the launch at a press conference here today, Bossche said the intention was to bring the service close to the public and business community, to enhance the user friendliness.
“With the help of these centres, we will strive to return passports within three working days,” he said. In 2012, nearly 34,000 visa applications were received from travellers in southern and western India by the Belgian Consulate in Mumbai.
The increase over the last few years in Belgium-bound travellers has encouraged the new initiative for expansion in the region, he said.
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