Guwahati to Host New Visa Facilitation Hub Serving More Than 60 Nations

The Government of Assam has announced a major development that is set to greatly benefit residents of Assam and the broader North Eastern region who seek to travel abroad. For many years, people from this part of India have faced significant challenges in completing mandatory biometric submissions required for visa applications. Currently, these services are available only in major metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai. As a result, applicants have had to undertake long, costly, and time-consuming journeys just to complete a small but crucial part of the visa process.

This situation is now expected to change with VFS Global agreeing in principle to set up a new, dedicated visa facilitation centre in Guwahati. Once operational, this centre will allow residents of Assam and all North Eastern states to submit their biometric data locally, without travelling outside the region. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly shared the development on November 20 through social media, calling it an important step toward reducing both inconvenience and financial burden for the region’s population.

The Chief Minister highlighted that the current system places a disproportionate strain on people from the North East. Even a simple visa-related procedure requires booking flights or undertaking long-distance travel to metros—something residents elsewhere in India seldom need to do. With the establishment of a VFS Global centre in Guwahati, this long-standing barrier will finally be eliminated.

Although VFS Global has agreed in principle to the proposal, some details are yet to be finalized. These include the exact list of countries for which biometric and visa services will be available at the Guwahati centre, as well as the timeline for its opening. However, the government has confirmed that the facility will cater to visa applications for more than 60 nations, significantly widening the global mobility options for the region’s residents.

VFS Global is the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions. It manages visa application centres across numerous countries and handles millions of applications every year. Bringing such a service directly to Guwahati is seen as a mark of progress for the North East, reflecting its growing connectivity and importance in international mobility networks.

The establishment of this visa facilitation centre is expected to bring several immediate and long-term benefits. Most importantly, it will drastically reduce travel costs and time for visa applicants from all North Eastern states. Many students, professionals, business travellers, and tourists from the region frequently travel abroad, and this new centre will simplify their experience considerably. Additionally, it is likely to encourage greater international engagement from the region by making the visa process easier and more accessible.

In the broader context, this move also highlights the government’s push to improve infrastructure and administrative services in the North East, bringing them closer in line with facilities available in other parts of the country. The Chief Minister has assured that more information regarding operational timelines and the list of supported countries will be shared as the project progresses.