Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday inaugurated the northeast’s first visa application centre in Guwahati.
Set up by VFS Global within the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) complex at Khanapara, the centre will enable residents of Assam and the northeast to apply for visas to Cyprus, Egypt, Ireland, Japan, Malta, Morocco and the United Kingdom. The facility will also accept Schengen visa applications, which allow travellers to visit 29 European countries.
“Residents of Assam and the rest of northeast had so far been required to travel to Delhi or Kolkata to apply for visas to foreign countries. With the opening of the new centre, they will now be able to apply for visas to several countries from Guwahati itself,” said Sarma.
The CM said the centre would make international travel services more accessible to people across the northeast and bring several countries closer to the region.
He described the initiative as an important step towards facilitating international travel, adding that its benefits would extend beyond Guwahati to all eight states of the northeast.
“The centre in Guwahati would assist applicants in completing the visa application process in accordance with the prescribed rules and procedures. However, the decision to grant or reject a visa would rest solely with the embassy or consulate of the concerned country,” said Sarma.
Highlighting the growing operations of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, the CM said direct flights were already operating from Guwahati to Dubai, Singapore and Bhutan, while a flight service to Bangkok would commence on October 27.