Officials at the opening ceremony
Hungary visa application centre opens in Bahrain
MANAMA, March 17, 2016
Residents of the Kingdom of Bahrain can now apply for visas to Hungary at the visa application centre launched for the Embassy of Hungary in the capital city of Manama.
Applicants can visit VFS Global’s modern and well-appointed centre to submit visa applications and enrol for biometrics.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is the fourth country in the Middle East, after Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia from where applicants can apply for a visa to Hungary.
The Manama centre is centrally located in close proximity to the diplomatic missions at 18th Floor, Diplomatic Commercial Tower, Diplomatic Area, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
The new centre joins eight other client governments served at the same premises, making it more convenient for travellers planning multiple business or leisure trips abroad.
Since commencing visa processing operations in Bahrain in 2005, VFS Global now serves 10 client governments in the country. VFS Global has been serving the Government of Hungary since 2010, and currently serves the client in nine countries from 34 visa application centres globally.
Speaking about the launch, Ferenc Csillag, ambassador of Hungary to the Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman, said: “The opening of the Hungarian Visa Center in Manama is an important step in strengthening one of the main aspects of the Hungarian-Bahraini bilateral relations, namely its human side. Although the relations between Hungary and Bahrain cannot be dated back for a long time, nonetheless they are guided by mutual respect and openness to develop all the areas of cooperation to the benefit of our two countries and people.
We have achieved considerable successes in the past years by paving the way for the strengthening of our bilateral economic ties by signing some important agreements, like the avoidance of double taxation, the agreement on economic and technical cooperation and just recently a brand new air traffic agreement, which we hope will open up the path to direct flights to Budapest by Gulf Air."
"We are also negotiating a special bilateral agreement on introducing a visa-free travel for special and diplomatic passports. The latest topics on the agenda of our relations are the planned mutual economic and political visits of high dignitaries and officials and the establishment of a Joint Intergovernmental Economic Commission.," he said.
"The opening of the Hungarian Visa Center in Manama today proves the intention of the Hungarian Government to give a further impetus to the development of our bilateral ties by facilitating the visits of Bahraini people to our country. We are confident that this new facility by establishing a faster and smoother visa procedure shall inspire not only the Bahraini tourists in visiting the wide choice of attractions offered by our tour operators, hotels and restaurants, but also the Bahraini businessmen to discover the inherent economic potential of my country,” Csillag added.
Commenting on the new centre, Yummi Talwar, regional head - Middle East, VFS Global, said: “The opening of this centre and our continuing association with the Government of Hungary reflects its faith in our abilities and we are committed to providing unparalleled quality of services to our visa applicants in Bahrain. VFS Global is honoured and privileged to extend services for the Embassy of Hungary in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the fourth country in the Middle East where visa application centres for this esteemed client government have been launched.”
The key features of the centre include:
• Convenient and centrally-accessed location;
• Professional staff with local language capability to handle queries and applications;
• Well-appointed centre for enhanced comfort of applicants;
• Automated queue governance for smooth flow of applicants;
• Dedicated website for easy access to information including visa categories, requirements, check-list and applicable fees;
• 100 per cent secure handling of passports, documents and personal information;
• Door-step delivery of passports;
• Premium Lounge for personalised and comfortable service. - TradeArabia News Service