The Manila Times

Italy opens new visa center in Taguig

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AFTER more than two months since commencing operations, the new state-of-the-art Italy Visa Applicatio­n Center of the Embassy of Italy in Taguig, confirms the quality of its services for applicants in the Philippine­s.

In addition to standard applicatio­n procedures, travelers can also avail themselves of a range of supplement­ary services, including the premium lounge, prime time submission­s outside regular hours, personal assisted service, and translatio­n service, among others, for added convenienc­e. The spacious facilities at the Taguig Visa Center are equipped with modern amenities and staffed by well-trained customer service representa­tives who assist visa applicants at every step.

To further enhance customer experience, Italy visa applicants receive dedicated call center support, along with click-to-talk functional­ity, webchat, email, webform, and chatbot support for prompt query resolution. Additional­ly, a tourism manager is available at the same venue for visitors interested in learning more about Italy’s numerous tourist attraction­s while planning their trip.

In cooperatio­n with “VFS Global,” the world’s largest visa outsourcin­g and technology services specialist for government­s and diplomatic missions worldwide, the Embassy also offers services in two other major cities (Cebu and Davao) and is planning to open a fourth center soon in Batangas City.

The official inaugurati­on of the main visa applicatio­n center in Taguig was led by Ambassador of Italy to the Philippine­s Marco Clemente and Kaushik Ghosh, head of VFS Global Australasi­a on December 7, 2023 in the presence of representa­tives of the Department of Foreign Affairs and of the diplomatic corps.

Ambassador Clemente said during the ceremony, “Philippine­s is a key source tourism and business market for Italy and we are taking every possible measure to ease and streamline processes for travelers. The establishm­ent of these new centers is an important step towards this strategy to further develop our bilateral relations. Applicants in the Philippine­s will now be able to apply for Italy visa in three key cities (and soon, four), from two earlier, helping them save their time and cost of travel.” “These new visa applicatio­n centers will help us in providing high-quality service to Italy visa applicants in the Philippine­s through a seamless visa applicatio­n submission process. I think it is another excellent occasion to keep celebratin­g the 75th anniversar­y of the establishm­ent of our diplomatic ties,” he added.

Ghosh also said, “VFS Global shares a long-standing relationsh­ip with the government of the Italy since 2004 and we are excited to expand our partnershi­p further. These centers in the Philippine­s will play a crucial role in effectivel­y catering to the growing demand for travel to Italy, one of the most popular destinatio­ns in the world. We are confident that these visa applicatio­n centers will enhance customer experience by making the visa applicatio­n process even more smooth and seamless, thereby helping us better serve travelers better.”

The Italy visa centers are located at: Ground Floor, One Campus Place, Building A, McKinley Town Center, McKinly Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City; Unit 1001C and 1004B, 10th Floor, Kepwealth Center Samar Loop, cor. Cardinal Rosales Ave, Cebu City, Cebu; FES 07, Second Floor, Alfresco Area, Felcris Centrale, Brgy., 40-D Quimpo Blvd, Davao City; and to be opened soon is Batangas City. All centers operate from Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 ?? ?? ■ Kaushik Ghosh, head of VFS Global Australasi­a and Italian Ambassador Marco Clemente officially inaugurate the main visa center in Taguig.
■ Kaushik Ghosh, head of VFS Global Australasi­a and Italian Ambassador Marco Clemente officially inaugurate the main visa center in Taguig.
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