New British Visa Application Center Opens in Surabaya
Surabaya. East Javans looking to visit the United Kingdom will no longer need to travel to Jakarta or Bali beforehand to secure a visa.
Flying between Surabaya's Juanda Airport and Heathrow, London, has never been easier — and now British visas are available in the city.
British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik on Thursday officially opened Surabaya's new British Visa Application Center. The center is Britain's third in the country, alongside Jakarta and Bali.
"The UK is establishing a greater presence in Surabaya to build stronger links between the UK and the people of Indonesia's second city," the Ambassador said in a statement.
"The opening of the visa center will make it easier and more convenient for residents of Surabaya and East Java to visit the UK to study, for holidays and to do business."
The center is the latest in an expansion of British activity in the East Java capital. The visa center joins a British Council English Language Center and a liaison office connected to the British Embassy in Jakarta. Agreements between Indonesian business and British counterparts were also signed late last year in the city.
In 2015, 38,677 visas were issued to Indonesians, a 3 percent increase from the previous year. Around 96 percent of Indonesian applicants are approved for visas.
"We look forward to welcoming you to Britain," the British ambassador said.
British Visa Application Center, 15th floor, Grah Pena Building, Kl. Ahmad Yani no.88, Surabaya. The center opens every Thursday and applicants are advised the average processing time for a non-settlement visa is eight day.
Applications cost 52 pounds (Rp 1 million, $74).
For more information, visit www.vfsglobal.co.uk/indonesia.
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