News / National
UK opens visa centre in Bulawayo
6 hrs ago | Views
Residents in the southern parts of Zimbabwe can now apply for UK visas closer to home following the official opening of a new application centre in Bulawayo.
The facility, housed at the Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel, will operate every Saturday between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Applicants can book appointments online via the VFS Global website to submit their documents and complete biometric enrolment without having to travel to Harare.
The launch comes as a relief for many prospective travellers amid rising demand for UK visas during the peak summer period. Previously, applicants from Bulawayo and surrounding areas were required to make the long and costly journey to Harare.
British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pete Vowles, hailed the new centre as a "significant milestone" in improving access to UK travel services.
"It will make travel more accessible for people in the southern region and open new pathways for trade, tourism, and investment," Vowles said. "Most importantly, it reflects our commitment to deepening people-to-people connections and supporting the growing demand for partnership between our two nations."
The Bulawayo centre complements the main Visa Application Centre in Harare, located at Sam Levy's Village in Borrowdale, which has been operational since November 2024.
VFS Global, the company managing the visa service on behalf of the UK government, said the Bulawayo centre will offer a full suite of premium services, including application assistance, real-time notifications, document return by courier, and the "Keep My Passport While Applying" option. This option allows applicants to retain their passports while awaiting a decision on their visa applications.
Alok Singhal, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa for VFS Global, said the opening of the Bulawayo centre demonstrates the organisation's commitment to enhancing service delivery in Zimbabwe.
"This new centre enables us to serve the growing number of travellers to the UK from Zimbabwe, offering the same comfort, convenience, and best-in-class services available at our Harare facility," Singhal said.
The development has been widely welcomed by residents and businesses in southern Zimbabwe, who see the move as a boost to accessibility and an opportunity to foster stronger ties with the United Kingdom.
The facility, housed at the Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel, will operate every Saturday between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Applicants can book appointments online via the VFS Global website to submit their documents and complete biometric enrolment without having to travel to Harare.
The launch comes as a relief for many prospective travellers amid rising demand for UK visas during the peak summer period. Previously, applicants from Bulawayo and surrounding areas were required to make the long and costly journey to Harare.
British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pete Vowles, hailed the new centre as a "significant milestone" in improving access to UK travel services.
"It will make travel more accessible for people in the southern region and open new pathways for trade, tourism, and investment," Vowles said. "Most importantly, it reflects our commitment to deepening people-to-people connections and supporting the growing demand for partnership between our two nations."
VFS Global, the company managing the visa service on behalf of the UK government, said the Bulawayo centre will offer a full suite of premium services, including application assistance, real-time notifications, document return by courier, and the "Keep My Passport While Applying" option. This option allows applicants to retain their passports while awaiting a decision on their visa applications.
Alok Singhal, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa for VFS Global, said the opening of the Bulawayo centre demonstrates the organisation's commitment to enhancing service delivery in Zimbabwe.
"This new centre enables us to serve the growing number of travellers to the UK from Zimbabwe, offering the same comfort, convenience, and best-in-class services available at our Harare facility," Singhal said.
The development has been widely welcomed by residents and businesses in southern Zimbabwe, who see the move as a boost to accessibility and an opportunity to foster stronger ties with the United Kingdom.
Source - Cite
