ABU DHABI // You may just want a visa, but you will be able to apply in style - and perhaps plan your journey while you are waiting. Britain yesterday opened an upgraded application centre in the capital that offers, among other things, tickets to tourist attractions and a business-class lounge. "The British Government warmly welcomes UAE and other properly qualified travellers to the UK, and is committed to ensuring that the process of securing a UK visa should be as simple, swift, straightforward, family-friendly and culturally sensitive as possible," Edward Oakden, Britain's ambassador to the UAE, said at the official opening. "Our Visa Application Centre represents a step-change in customer service for visa applicants."
The remodelled centre on Khalidiya Street has a staff of 19 who can now handle more than 300 applications a day. Travellers can also apply for visas online, but must attend the centre to provide biometric information such as fingerprints. Prices start at Dh370 (US$100) for a six-month visa. More than 72,000 visa applications were made in the past 12 months, according to the UK Border Agency and VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, which has a stand at the centre.
The British Council also has a desk enabling people to find out more, for example, about booking English language exams while applying for a visa. Holidaymakers can also buy tickets at the centre for popular tourist attractions such as the London Eye, Madame Tussaud's and bus tours of the UK. A business-class lounge is available to applicants who pay the Dh150 entrance fee. British visa applications have included a biometric component since 2007 which has helped identify around 5,000 people trying to enter the UK from various countries with fraudulent documents.
Lin Homer, head of the UK Border Agency, who came to Abu Dhabi for the opening, said this was a relatively small percentage of the 2.25 million people who visited the UK each year.
The original visa centre opened in September 2007 but has been upgraded because of the volume of requests. A second centre in Dubai is being moved to larger premises in Umm Hurair and will be opened later this month.
chamilton@thenational.ae