France has inaugurated a new visa application center at Rangs Z Square on Gulshan Avenue in the capital Dhaka. French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupui inaugurated the center on Tuesday.

The new center aims to increase the convenience and efficiency of the short- and long-term visa process for Bangladeshi applicants. From Wednesday, visa applicants will be able to book an appointment on the VFS Global website and submit their applications at the center.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Ambassador Marie Masdupui said, “This initiative will increase the number of daily applications, reduce waiting times for appointments, modernize payment options and improve the experience of applicants.”

VFS Global has been working with the French government on visa processing since 2004 and currently operates 70 visa centers in 29 countries. The company said it will only handle administrative tasks such as collecting applications, verifying required documents and processing biometrics.

The French Embassy has sole jurisdiction to approve, reject or decide on visas under the Schengen system.

The new centre will be open from Sunday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Applicants will be able to book appointments online and complete their visa application process in modern facilities.