Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has awarded VFS Global a global tender under which the company will continue to provide the Schengen Area short terms visa and residence permit services, including biometric enrolment in 32 countries across 10 regions.

VFS Global, a visa and passport administration outsourcing company for governments and diplomatic missions, has worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since 2010, handling more than 8.5 million visa applications on behalf of the Government of Finland.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland said: "We anticipate a seamless and professional collaboration with VFS Global. In our tender, we especially highlighted the global coverage of the outsourced services, quality of biometrics and technical capacity, quality control, risk management and customer service.

“The external service provider receives applications, collects biometric data and application fees and forwards them to the missions. It does not make visa decisions. Visa decisions continue to be the responsibility of Foreign Ministry officials.”

Jiten Vyas, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development, VFS Global, said: “VFS Global is delighted that we will continue to serve the Government of Finland as their trusted service provider.

“We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and welcome the opportunity to renew our services. We look forward to offering visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions, and a seamless application process across 10 regions globally.” – TradeArabia News Service