VFS TasHeel, an authorized visa service provider for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced that it has launched 10 visa services centers across Indonesia. Acting as a trusted mediator between visa applicants and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, VFS TasHeel’s visa services centers provide full array of visa services including, dissemination of accurate visa information, application guidance, fee management, identity management with biometrics enrollment and application submission for all available visa categories.
In addition, 22 outreach centers have been established in the key demographic areas to provide biometric enrollment services exclusive to Hajj & Umrah applicants. The outreach centers are designed to bring enhanced convenience and reduce turnaround time for biometric procedure, a mandatory requirement while applying for visas to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Biometric enrollment includes collection of fingerprints, facial image and biographic details, such as passport information.
Commenting on the launch of outreach centers, Sherif Shazly, Chief Operating Officer, VFS TasHeel, quoted, “The outreach centers will benefit both individual applicants and travel agents alike since it facilitates biometric procedures locally. The travel time to centers is reduced and biometric procedures for Hajj & Umrah applicants are offered in a more convenient ambience, free of rush. We have taken a progressive step to enhance our infrastructure to be closer to the various applicant communities across Indonesia.”
The VFS TasHeel visa services centers in the Indonesia will process various categories of visa permits including resident, educational, personal, commercial visits etc., with the exception of Hajj and Umrah visas. Pilgrims will continue to process their visas through private tour operators in the country, and will be required to complete the mandatory biometric enrollment procedure through VFS TasHeel visa services/outreach centers.
The visa services centers are located at:
- Aceh
- Balikpapan
- Bandung
- Jakarta
- Lampung
- Makassar
- Medan
- Surabaya
The outreach centers are located at:
- Ambon
- Banjarmasin
- Banyuwangi
- Bengkulu
- Cirebon
- Gorontalo
- Jambi
- Kendari
- Malang
- Manado
- Mataram
- Padang
- Palangkaraya
- Palembang
- Palu
- Pekanbaru
- Pontianak
- Purwokerto
- Semarang
- Serang Banten
- Ternate
- Yogyakarta
Ever since its inception in 2014 till 31 July 2018, VFS TasHeel has processed over 7,567,183 visa applications across all operational centers spanning Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe.
For further information on steps to apply, knowing appropriate visa category or scheduling an appointment, applicants may visit www.vfstasheel.com. The website offers information in English and Bahasa, the official language of Indonesia.