Kenyans travelling to the United Kingdom can now book appointments to submit their visa applications at VFS Global centres located in Mombasa and Nairobi.
VFS Global, which was recently awarded the contract to provide UK visa services in 142 countries worldwide, has established visa application centres in the two counties where applicants can visit and submit their applications.
Effective October 22, 2024, customers applying for a UK visa will be directed to VFS Global to book an appointment to complete their visa application.
Customers will have the option to choose additional services designed to make the application process easier.
Commenting on the launch of the new centres, VFS Global Sub-Saharan Africa head Alok Singhai, said:
“We are excited to embark on this new journey with UK Visas and Immigration here in Kenya.”
“We have enjoyed a long-standing partnership with UK Visas and Immigration since 2003 and look forward to now bringing travellers from Kenya our best-in-class services.”
UK visa customers can now choose from a range of optional services offered by VFS Global to provide enhanced comfort and convenience.
These include document upload assistance, Prime Time for application submission outside of business hours, SMS notifications, document checking service, and courier return of the passport once a decision has been made.
“Customers in Nairobi can submit their UK visa applications from the comfort and safety of their home, office or any other preferred location with our On Demand Mobile Visa service.”
VFS Global’s Keep My Passport While Applying service allows customers in Kenya to keep their passports once their application is submitted and biometrics have been enrolled.
Customers will only need to re-submit their passports when a decision is reached.
The company said services can be booked in advance through their website.
“These services are completely optional and have no bearing on the processing timeline and outcomes of visa applications.”
As a partner to UK Visas and Immigration since 2003, VFS Global offered visa services in 58 countries before the new contract.
In the African region, VFS Global will provide Visa Application centres for the UK in 31 countries, from October 2024.