New UK Visa Centre Opens in Bulawayo, Streamlining Applications for Southern Region

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – A new UK visa application center has officially opened in Bulawayo, aiming to alleviate travel complexities for residents in the southern parts of the country, particularly as demand typically surges during the summer months.

Strategically located at the Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel, the center will operate every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This new facility means applicants can now conveniently book appointments via the VFS Global website to submit their documents and provide biometric data without the previous necessity of traveling to Harare.

British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pete Vowles, lauded the establishment of the center as a “significant milestone” in enhancing access to UK travel services. He emphasized that the center will not only “make travel more accessible for people in the southern region” but also “open new pathways for trade, tourism, and investment.” Vowles further highlighted that the initiative “reflects our commitment to deepening people-to-people connections and supporting the growing demand for partnership between our two nations.”

The new Bulawayo center works in conjunction with the primary UK Visa Application Centre in Harare, which has been operational at Sam Levy’s Village since November 2024.

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VFS Global, the official partner managing UK visa services, confirmed that the Bulawayo center will offer a range of premium services. These include application assistance, real-time notifications, and document return by courier. Additionally, applicants will benefit from a “Keep My Passport While Applying” option, allowing them to retain their travel documents while their application is being processed.

Alok Singhal, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa for VFS Global, stated that the new center enables them “to serve the growing number of travelers to the UK from Zimbabwe, offering the same comfort, convenience, and best-in-class services available at our Harare facility.”