VFS centre in Maldives expands to 9 Schengen country visa applications
From Monday, the centre will accept applications from three more countries.
VFS Global Joint Schengen Visa Application Centre in Male now allows residents of Maldives to apply for visa for nine Schengen countries, Maldivian foreign ministry said Monday.
A VFS centre was opened in Male on 1 March 2020 to facilitate visa application for European countries.
Switzerland officially joined the VFS Male Visa Centre on August 21 as a result of discussions with the foreign ministries of the Schengen zone countries to further expand the service, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The Schengen countries that have been allowing visa applications through the centre so far are:
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Switzerland
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Belgium
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Netherlands
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Poland
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Luxembourg
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Slovenia
From Monday, the centre will accept applications from three more countries:
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France
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Spain
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Portugal
But visa applications for the rest of the Schengen countries still need to be submitted physically at the respective embassy in either India or Sri Lanka.
Maldives’ request for visa-free travel will be addressed when the next review of visa lists takes place, the European Union (EU) announced in June. However, no decision has been taken on the request.
