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MEDIA INFORMATION

Moscow, 21 August 2019

VFS Global starts visa application services for Hungary in

 Hungary becomes the 28th government to be served by VFS Global in Russia  Centres to be launched across 64 Russian cities in two phases; 40 locations to be rolled out in phase 1  An estimated 60,000 visa applications to be processed across Russia

Effective 21 August 2019, residents of the Russian Federation can avail Hungary visa services at Visa Application Centres in 40 cities across Russia, including: St. Petersburg Ivanovo Kaluga Krasnodar Lipetsk Rostov-on-Don Ryazan Saratov Sochi Tula Vladimir Volgograd Chelyabinsk Khanty-Mansiysk Krasnoyarsk Kurgan Novosibirsk Perm Surgut Tyumen Kirov Orenburg Saransk Irkutsk

Mid-September, the network of VFS Global Visa Application Centres serving Hungary will be expanded to add 24 cities, including: Pyatigorsk Tomsk Barnaul Novorossiysk Cherepovets Veliky Novgorod Chita Kemerovo Novokuznetsk

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Kizil Ulan-Ude Toliatti Naberezhnie Chelny

The extensive network of centres will bring Hungary visa services closer to home for Russian travellers. Each centre offers a smooth and seamless visa application experience, as well as a range of optional services to choose from, such as automated updates on the progress of the applicaton, courier return of passport and documents, and Premium Lounge services in select cities.

Looking forward to the cooperation with VFS Global in Russia, Mr. Bela BATHORI, Head of the Consular Section of the Embassy of Hungary in Moscow, stated that: “With our new external service provider, VFS Global and its network of Visa Application Centers across Russia, Hungary’s Embassy in Moscow and its Consulates General in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Kazan are standing ready to serve the growing need of Russian travelers with visas for their travels. We continue to assist and help our applicants in this administrative process and expect that members of the traveling public will have a positive experience in applying for their Schengen visas to Hungary at any of the Visa Application Centers operated by VFS Global.”

Commenting on the launch of the operations, Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer – Russia, Baltics, Eastern Europe, VFS Global, said, “It is our privilege to be appointed as the trusted partner of the Embassy of Hungary in Russia, to facilitate the visa application process for Russian residents. We are committed to providing highly efficient and convenient services to all visa applicants applying for Hungary visas across the country. These centres will bring the visa application services closer to home for applicants in different cities of Russia and streamline the process for them.”

Key features of these centres include:  Professional and responsive staff dedicated to handle visa queries and applications  Assisted form-filling service by trained professionals  SMS alerts for visa status update  Door-step delivery of passports  100% secure handling of passports, documents and personal information  Individial services like Premium Lounge and dedicated Premium Counters facility for a luxurious and personalised service experience  Get your visa processed at a location of your choice with On Demand Mobile Visa service  Dedicated website for easy access to information including visa categories, requirements, checklist,

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applicable fees, visa status updates and appointment bookings  Dedicated contact centre and email support to answer queries and track application status

A complete list of Visa Application Centres, their addresses, business hours and available services can be found at www.vfsglobal.com.

About VFS Global VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. VFS Global, headquartered in Dubai, UAE, has Swiss parentage and is a portfolio company of EQT, a leading global private equity firm headquartered in , . With 3169 Application Centres, operations in 147 countries across five continents and over 205 million applications processed as on 30 June 2019, VFS Global is the trusted partner of 63 client governments.

Media Contacts Sukanya Chakraborty Yulia Parfilova [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

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