In a bid to boost tourism to the country, the Embassy of Austria in Jordan in partnership with VFS Global has set up a new Austrian Visa Application Centre in Erbil. The centre will also accept visa applications for Slovenia as per the agreement between the governments of Austria and Slovenia. The new Visa Application Centre (VAC) will cater to Europe bound travellers in the region. Residents of Iraq can also now apply for their visas to Austria. The new centre was inaugurated Karl-August LUX, senior expert for visa matters – Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Zubin Karkaria, chief executive officer, VFS Global Group. Karkaria said: “VFS Global looks to enhance our overall visa application experience for applicants. We would offer applicants from Iraq a seamless and convenient visa application process.” VFS Global will be responsible for accepting visa applications for Austria, from applicants residing in Erbil and other parts of Iraq. All applications will continue to be assessed and processed by Austrian Embassy in Jordan. The centre will be open from 08:00 hrs to 15:00 hrs from Sunday to Thursday. Source: Travel Daily