Switzerland to centralise visa processing facilities in India: Envoy

CHENNAI: As part of consolidating the services offered under one roof, Switzerland has planned to centralise the visa processing facilities in India by 2016, a top envoy said here today.

"We are planning to centralise the visa processing centres. This is from the Embassy side. Right now for people from Chennai, visa gets processed in Mumbai through the VFS. In future, it will be centralised and processed in New Delhi", Embassy of Switzerland, Ambassador, Dr Linus von Castelmur told PTI.

According to him, the reason for centralising the visa processing was in backdrop of receiving huge visa applications. Switzerland ranks second processing 95,000 visa after Germany in which 1.15 lakh applications get processed, he said.

Participating in an interactive session organised by trade body Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said Switzerland would celebrate the year 2015-16 with the theme 'Think Innovation, Think Switzerland'.

As part of this concept, the world's solar air plane "Solar Impulse" that flies without any fossil fuel would visit India. "It has wings of Boeing 747. One of the largest air plane. It will come to India early in March to Ahmedabad after visiting Dubai", he said.

On the trade relations between India and Switzerland, he said, "it was around USD 3.2 billion last year. " Indian exporters to Switzerland are doing better. It has grown four per cent compared to last year".

On India signing economic agreement with Switzerland, he said it has been in the negotiating stage for the past seven years. "Unfortunately, it did not materialise. Progress can be made with the formation of new government in India. It is important to resume the negotiations on signing the agreement as quickly as possible", he said.