The Swedish Ministry of Justice has awarded VFS Global the global tender to provide visa services in 37 countries across the globe, including the UAE.
Under this new agreement, VFS Global will continue to operate on behalf of the Government of Sweden in 8 regions worldwide – South Asia, the Americas, South East Asia, China, the Middle East & North Africa, Africa, Europe, and Russia.
VFS Global has worked with the Government of Sweden since 2014 and under the new contract will provide Schengen visa services short term C visas including biometric enrolment in the following 37 countries: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Since 2019, VFS Global has handled nearly 500,000 visa applications on behalf of the Government of Sweden.
The Swedish Ministry of Justice and the Swedish Migration Agency, said, “We are looking forward to a continued smooth and professional Schengen visa cooperation with VFS Global, for many years to come. Quality promotion measures, regionalisation and technical development are some areas where we are working on jointly. We continue our fruitful coordination and cooperation with VFS Global and strive to improve the process even further.”
Chris Dix, Head of Business Development, VFS Global, said, “VFS Global is delighted that we will continue to serve the Government of Sweden as their sole service provider. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Swedish Migration Agency and the Ministry of Justice for nearly a decade and welcome the opportunity to renew our services in the existing locations where we operate. We look forward to offering Swedish visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions, and a seamless application process across 8 regions globally.”
About VFS Global
VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions. VFS Global is the trusted partner of 70 client governments, operating a global network with more than 3,300 Application Centres in 147 countries. The company has processed over 268 million applications since its inception in 2001. The company manages non-judgmental and administrative tasks related to applications for visa, passport, and consular services for its client governments, enabling them to focus entirely on the critical assessment task. VFS Global has its headquarters in Zurich/Switzerland and Dubai/United Arab Emirates.
VFS Global is majority-owned by funds managed by Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for their investors, the companies in which they invest, and the communities in which they work. Blackstone’s USD 991 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets, and secondary funds, all on a global basis.
The Swiss-based Kuoni and Hugentobler Foundation and EQT, a global investment organisation, headquartered in Stockholm/Sweden, hold minority stakes in VFS Global.
Media Contact
Maansi Sharma
maansis@vfsglobal.com
communications@vfsglobal.com
Omar Abd Raboo
Omar.abdraboo@mslgroup.com