There’s good news for the people of Assam and the Northeast—an International Visa Centre will soon be set up in Guwahati, making international travel easier for people in the region.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma made a major announcement for international travelers from India’s Northeast, saying the “long journey” to Delhi or Mumbai for visa biometrics will soon become “history.”
This follows an in-principle agreement with VFS Global, a major visa outsourcing and technology service provider, to set up a dedicated visa facilitation centre in Guwahati.
The CM made the announcement via a social media post, highlighting the long-standing logistical difficulties faced by the people of Assam and the entire Northeast. Until now, visa applicants to many countries that require biometric enrollment had to make expensive and time-consuming journeys to major metropolitan hubs—a burden particularly felt by students, professionals, and tourists from the region.
CM Sarma said in his post, “Traveling abroad? Need to submit biometrics for your visa application? This used to mean a long journey to Delhi or Mumbai.” “Soon, this will be history for our people in Assam and the Northeast.”
Expressing happiness over the new arrangement, he wrote, “Happy to inform that @VFSGlobal has agreed in principle to establish a dedicated Visa Facilitation Center for over 60 countries in Guwahati.”
This proposed center is expected to simplify the visa application process for many destinations, significantly reducing the financial and time costs of preparing for international travel. While specific details are still pending, the Chief Minister stated that more information will be released soon.
He added, “We’ll be sharing more information soon—such as which countries visa applications can be made for in Guwahati, the opening timeline, etc. Stay tuned.”
