Residents of Odisha will soon lodge Schengen, UK, US, Australia and Gulf visa files without flying to Kolkata or Hyderabad: VFS Global has confirmed it will open a state-of-the-art Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Bhubaneswar on 1 April 2026—coinciding with the state’s Foundation Day, Utkal Dibas. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the development via X on 21 February.(timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
The 12-counter facility, to be housed in the city’s emerging business district near Chandrasekharpur, will handle biometric enrolment, premium lounge services and on-site courier dispatch for up to 300 applicants daily. Odisha currently generates close to 100,000 outbound travellers a year, many from the mining, IT outsourcing and higher-education sectors; most must endure an overnight trip to another metro merely to submit fingerprints.(timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
![Bhubaneswar to get first multi-country visa application centre on Utkal Dibas]()
For those who would rather avoid any trip at all, online specialists like VisaHQ can streamline everything from form filling to courier pickup. Through its India platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/), applicants can schedule appointments, track their files in real time and tap dedicated support—useful not only for Schengen and UK visas but for dozens of other destinations worldwide.
By shortening that journey, the new VAC is expected to boost study-abroad uptake and accelerate mobilisation of project personnel to client sites overseas—a boon for local SMEs bidding on EPC contracts in the Middle East and Africa. Travel consultants note that appointment slots at Kolkata’s over-capacity centres routinely get booked out four weeks in advance; Bhubaneswar’s addition should relieve pressure across eastern India.
The 12-counter facility, to be housed in the city’s emerging business district near Chandrasekharpur, will handle biometric enrolment, premium lounge services and on-site courier dispatch for up to 300 applicants daily. Odisha currently generates close to 100,000 outbound travellers a year, many from the mining, IT outsourcing and higher-education sectors; most must endure an overnight trip to another metro merely to submit fingerprints.(timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
For those who would rather avoid any trip at all, online specialists like VisaHQ can streamline everything from form filling to courier pickup. Through its India platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/), applicants can schedule appointments, track their files in real time and tap dedicated support—useful not only for Schengen and UK visas but for dozens of other destinations worldwide.
By shortening that journey, the new VAC is expected to boost study-abroad uptake and accelerate mobilisation of project personnel to client sites overseas—a boon for local SMEs bidding on EPC contracts in the Middle East and Africa. Travel consultants note that appointment slots at Kolkata’s over-capacity centres routinely get booked out four weeks in advance; Bhubaneswar’s addition should relieve pressure across eastern India.
