TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The first German visa application centre was opened in Goa on Wednesday, with increasing number of Goans traveling to Germany and German industries showing interest to set up shop here.
Operated by VFS Global, the 14th centre in India is aimed at facilitating visa formalities for over 2,000 Goans who annually travel to Germany for business or holiday.
The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Mumbai extended their collection of visa applications to Goa, while it announced opening of two more centres, one each at Chennai and Kolkata by March end.
The visa application centre will save people the trouble of traveling to Mumbai.
Speaking to media persons, the Consul of German Republic in Mumbai Alexander Thielitz said that the centre would cater to the western Indian region from where 42,000 visas were issued last year with over 2,000 visa applications received from Goa.
The western region includes states such as Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, MP, Chhattisgarh and Daman and Diu.
Thielitz said that around 1,20,000 Indians procured German visa in 2013, with 70% traveling for business, while 30% were tourists. The rough estimates reveal that around 30,000 to 40,000 Indian tourists visit Germany annually on a direct visa, while several more thousands of unaccounted persons go there through multiple entry facility, he added.
Dean Menezes, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, said that the highest foreign direct investment in Goa came from German companies, with India being eighth largest investor in Germany.
“We have 12 leading German companies operating in Goa, including Putzmeister, Siemens, Bosch, and Mercedes,” Menezes said.
