The Embassy of the Czech Republic and VFS Global have opened the 14th Czech Republic Visa Application Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

VFS Global is the official representative of the Czech Tourist Authority, Czech Tourism, in India since November 2016.

Expands network

The new office extends the network access to visa application facilities for residents of Kerala established earlier in March at Kochi.

Milan Hovorka, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in India, inaugurated the centre here in the presence of Radek Vondracek, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

Key members of the Czech Parliamentary delegation on a visit to India, were also present.

The Thiruvananthapuram office is located at First Floor, Asiatic Business Centre, at Attipra Village in Kazhakuttam.

In the last one year, Thiruvananthapuram is the 14th city in India where VFS Global has launched a Visa Application Centre for the Czech Republic to meet growing demands for visas to the country among Indian tourists.

CZECH TOURISM

Hovorka said that it was good to be back in Kerala two months after launching the first Visa Application Centre of the Czech Republic in Kochi.

“We are also looking to explore possibilities of expanding bilateral cooperation between the Czech Republic and the state of Kerala.”

Vinay Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer – Middle East and South Asia, VFS Global, said the new centre will serve the increasing volumes of visa applications for the Schengen country, illustrating the emerging popularity of the Czech Republic as a tourist destination.

Other visa centres have been set up in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Puducherry, and Pune.

Before the outsourcing of the Czech Republic visa application process, applicants had to travel to the Czech Republic Embassy in Delhi to submit their applications.