Apply for UK visa from home… at a premium

Two new top tier services to offer a ‘platinum experience’ for UK visa applicants in the UAE has been launched.

One of the two services allows customers to apply for the visa form their home or office, with even the fingerscans conducted at the customer’s chosen location instead of them having to visit the application centre.

The ‘on demand mobile biometric service’ gives applicants across the UAE the option to complete their visa application, including biometric enrollment, from their home, office or any location of choice.

This service is available to individuals and groups, such as corporate employees, or families, who prefer not to travel to the visa application centres to apply. Instead, a small team will travel to the applicant’s chosen location to complete the biometric enrollment process (capturing fingerscans and a photograph).

The cost of this service starts at £750/Dh4,500 for an individual, with discounted pricing for groups, depending on size, the British Embassy said in a statement.

The other service is offers a chauffer service to and from the application centre as well as the use of the new ‘Platinum Lounge’ at the visa application centre in Wafi Mall, Dubai.

This service provides a private booth, a personalised chauffer service to and from the VAC, and the assistance in completing the application form.

This service costs an additional £435/Dh2,600 and is available to customers applying at the UK Visa Application Centre in Dubai only.

Faster processing comes as standard with these services, and customers who choose to enjoy the lounge can expect to receive their documents, hand delivered to their door, just 3-5 days after they apply, or within 24 hours if they choose to upgrade to the super priority visa service.

Both services can be used to obtain long term UK visas, popular with frequent travellers.

Emirati visitors to the UK can still take advantage of the popular electronic visa waiver service, for short trips, of up to six months at a time. There were more than 54,600 electronic visa waiver registrations from Emiratis in the last year.  A single entry EVW can be obtained online, without having to attend a visa application centre.

However, UAE passport holders who travel regularly or at short notice, may find it more convenient to obtain a multi-entry visa, as EVWs must be obtained at least 48 hours before departure. In the last year, visa applications from Emiratis were processed in under four days on average, the embassy said.

(Image via Shutterstock)
 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.