Turkey opens visa application centers in 16 Indian cities

The Republic of Turkey’s Indian Embassy inaugurated visa application centers in 16 cities across India, on March 28, 2016. Two more centers are slated to be launched in Nepal and the Maldives too later on. Tourists from India or Nepal wishing to visit Turkey can now apply for its visa at the above centers which are operated by VFS Global, a service provider for governments and diplomatic missions across the globe. As of now, VFS Global has centers in Mumbai, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru, Puducherry, Gurgaon, Trivandrum, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad, besides Kathmandu in Nepal. The Male (The Maldives) center is also scheduled to commence its operations shortly. The Republic of Turkey’s Ambassador of to India, the Maldives, and Nepal, Dr. Burak Akçapar, who spoke at the occasion of opening of these centers, said that they had been receiving around 100 applications every day. He felt that this was a major advancement that would help them give their applicants an improved and seamless service. An effortless visa issuance system would, in turn, surge tourist arrivals to Turkey from all three countries. Akçapar said his government was firm in its commitment to do its best for opening the gates wide open for Indian citizens wanting to visit Turkey. This nation, straddling both the continents of Asia and Europe, is one of the most sought-after destinations for tourists across the globe, he added. The country is optimistic of having newer connections originating from India with Turkish Airlines. VFS Global, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia and DVPC (Dubai Visa Processing Center) Vinay Malhotra said he was feeling buoyed with the alliance as it comes at the beginning of the outbound travel period from India. The Turkish visa was issued earlier at three centers across India, and this new partnership has taken it to a total of 16 centers. Visa accessibility is always a driver for tourist traffic, felt Malhotra. New Delhi’s visa application center for Turkey is located close to the metro station of Shivaji Stadium on Baba Kharak Singh Marg. This center is open to the public from  9 AM to 4 PM from Monday through Friday.