Visa-processing giant VFS Global announced on 20 November that Slovakia’s Ministry of Foreign & European Affairs has awarded it a five-year contract covering both short-stay Schengen and long-stay national visas in 159 cities worldwide—including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
From early 2026, UAE residents will submit biometrics and documents at VFS’s flagship Wafi City centre or its Abu Dhabi hub instead of the Hungarian consulate, which has handled Slovak intakes until now. Appointment backlogs of up to six weeks are expected to shrink to three-to-five days once new counters open.
![VFS Global Wins Mandate to Process Slovak Schengen Visas in UAE]()
Applicants will complete digital forms, pay fees online and track cases via VFS’s mobile app. Premium ‘Platinum Lounge’ options—popular with C-suite travellers—will offer courier return of passports and same-day appointment slots.
Demand for Slovak visas from the Gulf has risen 42 % year-on-year, buoyed by medical tourism in the High Tatras and a spike in UAE-Slovakia student exchanges. Mobility managers should update visa matrices, budget for VFS’s AED 150 service fee and note that Schengen biometrics collected in Dubai are valid for 59 months across the zone.
The deal exemplifies a broader outsourcing trend: 14 Schengen member states now use VFS facilities in the UAE, reinforcing Dubai’s emergence as the region’s one-stop visa marketplace.
From early 2026, UAE residents will submit biometrics and documents at VFS’s flagship Wafi City centre or its Abu Dhabi hub instead of the Hungarian consulate, which has handled Slovak intakes until now. Appointment backlogs of up to six weeks are expected to shrink to three-to-five days once new counters open.
Applicants will complete digital forms, pay fees online and track cases via VFS’s mobile app. Premium ‘Platinum Lounge’ options—popular with C-suite travellers—will offer courier return of passports and same-day appointment slots.
Demand for Slovak visas from the Gulf has risen 42 % year-on-year, buoyed by medical tourism in the High Tatras and a spike in UAE-Slovakia student exchanges. Mobility managers should update visa matrices, budget for VFS’s AED 150 service fee and note that Schengen biometrics collected in Dubai are valid for 59 months across the zone.
The deal exemplifies a broader outsourcing trend: 14 Schengen member states now use VFS facilities in the UAE, reinforcing Dubai’s emergence as the region’s one-stop visa marketplace.
