JEDDAH — Citizens and expatriate residents of Saudi Arabia can apply for Schengen visas to Belgium at the new visa application centers jointly launched by the Embassy of Belgium in Riyadh and VFS Global, the largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide.

In an expansion drive to meet the growing travel demand to Belgium from Saudi Arabia, VFS Global announced the launch of its new Visa Application Center in Al-Khobar. The company inaugurated another center in Jeddah last month.

The new visa application centers provide outbound travelers from Al-Khobar and Jeddah a very convenient visa application platform, ensuring enhanced quality of services and seamless procedures. Applicants can complete their biometric enrollment at the same application center.

With the launch of these new centers, applicants no longer need to visit the Embassy of Belgium in Riyadh and instead submit their visa applications at the VFS Global centers in Al-Khobar and Jeddah.

During the official inauguration of the Al-Khobar earlier this month, Dominique Mineur, ambassador of Belgium to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said, “We are pleased to open our third visa application center in Al Khobar following the success of Jeddah and Riyadh centers. The opening of a center in Jeddah last month has resulted in an increase in the number of visa applications received for Belgium from the Kingdom. We sincerely hope the Al-Khobar center will also generate the same interest, and we thank VFS Global for their support. This will undoubtedly strengthen the relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Belgium.’

The first application center for Schengen visas to Belgium started its operations in December 2016 in Riyadh. Each year, approximately 2,000 business and leisure travelers from the Kingdom visit Belgium.

VFS Global has been associated with the client government of Belgium since 2006 and presently serves applicants through a network of 64 visa application centers across 22 countries including India, Cameroon, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

Commenting on the new centers for visas to Belgium, Vinay Malhotra, regional group COO for Middle East, South Asia and China at VFS Global, said: “The number of applications for Schengen visas in the Kingdom has increased significantly and continuously over the years. The positive economic environment in the Kingdom and the high level of economic growth has created more opportunities for business and leisure travelers alike. The opening of our new Belgian visa centers will increase convenience and enhance the quality of services for visa applicants traveling to Belgium from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” — SG