VFS Global Opens New Visa Application Centres in Chandigarh and Chennai for Singapore

(INDIA) – VFS Global expanded Singapore visa services in India by opening new Visa Application Centres in Chandigarh and Chennai, widening its role as an Authorised Visa Agent for applicants in two large state markets.

The company said the new centres will serve applicants from Punjab and Tamil Nadu. They will process applications for tourist, family visit, and business visas.

VFS Global was appointed as an Authorised Visa Agent, or AVA, for Singapore visa services in the two cities. The move adds dedicated application points in Chandigarh, in Punjab, and Chennai, in Tamil Nadu.

Visa decisions will still rest with Singapore authorities. VFS Global will handle the application process at the centres, separating document intake and submission from the final decision on whether a visa is granted.

The expansion centres on access. By placing application facilities in Chandigarh and Chennai, the company is bringing Singapore visa services closer to residents in Punjab and Tamil Nadu rather than requiring them to rely on more distant locations.

That matters in practical ways for applicants. A closer filing point can reduce travel tied to submitting documents for a tourist trip, a family visit, or a business journey, while keeping the decision-making authority with Singapore officials.

Applicants in Punjab will use the Chandigarh centre, while applicants in Tamil Nadu will use the Chennai centre. The arrangement ties each new site to the state it is intended to serve.

The eligible categories named for the new centres cover three common travel purposes. Tourist visas apply to leisure travel, family visit visas cover visits to relatives, and business visas cover travel linked to commercial activity.

VFS Global’s role at the new centres is administrative. It handles the visa application process, which places the company at the front end of the filing system while Singapore authorities remain responsible for the outcome of each case.

The distinction is central to how the new service works. Applicants submit through VFS Global, but the decision on approval or refusal does not shift to the private visa services operator.

Residents preparing to apply through the new centres will need to match their location to the correct site, assemble documents for the visa category they are seeking, and submit the application through VFS Global. Chandigarh is the filing point for Punjab, and Chennai is the filing point for Tamil Nadu.

The company framed the rollout as an effort to improve accessibility and make the application process more efficient in the two states. The addition of new Visa Application Centres does that in a direct way: it moves the point of submission nearer to applicants in northern and southern India who need Singapore visa services.

Chandigarh and Chennai also reflect a two-region approach rather than a single-city expansion. One centre serves applicants in Punjab, while the other serves applicants in Tamil Nadu, giving the programme reach across separate parts of the country.

The choice of cities defines who benefits from the latest change. People seeking tourist, family visit, or business visas in Punjab now have a designated Chandigarh route, and applicants in Tamil Nadu have a designated Chennai route.

VFS Global did not take over the sovereign part of the process. Its appointment as an Authorised Visa Agent in the two cities gives it responsibility for handling applications, but Singapore authorities still make the visa decision.

That structure mirrors the division laid out in the announcement: a private processing channel at the local level, and official approval authority at the destination country level. The result is a wider submission network without any shift in who grants entry.

The expansion also adds a clearer path for applicants who fall within the three listed visa categories. Rather than treating every travel purpose the same, the new centres are set up to process tourist, family visit and business applications under the Singapore visa services arrangement in India.

In Chandigarh and Chennai, the new centres give those applicants a local point of contact for filing. In Singapore, the authorities keep the final word.