VFS Global

VFS Global is a visa and passport administration outsourcing company for governments and diplomatic missions. Zubin Karkaria founded the company in 2001 while he was chief executive at Kuoni Travel. Formerly based in India, the company is now headquartered in Dubai with offices in 147 countries. In 2024, the company processed over 100,000 applications daily with over 100 million applications processed in the preceding five year period.

Over the past two decades, VFS Global has expanded its global presence and broadened its range of services for governments and diplomatic missions including seven global contracts from the governments of Austria, Australia, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. VFS Global has faced criticism for alleged exploitative practices, lack of transparency, and data security failures. Visa applicants from lower-income countries have reported missed flights and wrongful denials due to delays and errors, including failure to scan key documents.