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for their engagement and passion to deliver first-class
services every day. This recognition is truly inspirational
for me and our team to aim higher in our commitment to
excellence in developing travel and tourism to France
and to providing excellent service to all our client
governments.”
Mr Karkaria, who has been a part of the travel industry
for more than 25 years, is credited with pioneering the
concept of visa process outsourcing, having launched
the global visa processing company VFS Global in
2001. In 2015, he became the first Asian to head the
Switzerland headquartered Kuoni Group, VFS Global’s
parent company. The Kuoni Group, a leading travel
industry service provider, has strong ties with France for
65 years. In 1951, the first store outside Switzerland was
opened in Paris.
It is an honour to confer the Ordre
national du Mérite on Mr Karkaria
who played a stellar role in
successfully conceiving the visa
facilitation system and promoting
France as a travel destination.
His Excellency Alexandre Ziegler
Ambassador of France to India
The association between France and VFS Global began
in 2004 when the first VFS Global visa application
centre for France was set up in India, and VFS Global
was still an upcoming enterprise. Since then, the
12-year-old partnership has expanded its footprint
globally, and has led to a substantial increase in the
number of visa applications received by the embassy.
Today, VFS Global serves the Government of France in
19 countries across 52 visa application centres, globally.
In India alone, there are 14 VFS centres for France, with
the launch of more visa application centres on the anvil.
New concepts such as ‘on-demand’ mobile biometrics
service (where visa application submission can be
completed from the applicant’s home or office) are being
introduced in several cities including Gurgaon, Lucknow
and Bangalore; and kiosks in Delhi and Mumbai to
promote tourism for France, are expected to be
launched soon.
GLOBAL
