Foreign travel: Visa at your doorstep service sees six-fold rise

Visa at your doorstep (VAYD) for foreign travel is being offered for safe and convenient travel experience as international travel opens up in a phased manner

With international travel opening in a phased manner, data shows the emergence of travellers opting for premium services such as visa at your doorstep (VAYD) for safe and convenient travel experience. According to data analysis by VFS Global, foreign-bound travellers from India who opted for doorstep services grew by more than six times between January and July this year. Data trends also indicate large group bookings of Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD) service from relatively smaller cities such as Goa.

Foreign-bound travellers from India who opted for doorstep services grew by more than six times between January and July this year. (NYT)

VFS Global said there was a significant increase in customers requesting for VAYD service. Currently, VAYD service is available to Indian travellers visiting the UK, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

In this optional service, customers complete their entire visa application submission process from their home or any other location of their choice.

Read: India extends visas, stay period for stranded foreign nationals till Sep 30

“Given international borders began to reopen only in June following the setback caused by the second wave till May, the number has more than doubled in just over a month,” VFS spokesperson said.

“Touchless travel with an enhanced focus on safety and well-being are key to travellers today. With the digital consumer experience evolving rapidly, we foresee a higher demand for such premium services that enable our customers to prioritise safe travel,” said Vinay Malhotra, regional group COO - South Asia, Middle East and North Africa and Americas, VFS Global.