A Frustrated Traveler Turned Innovator
In the 1990s, while working for Swiss travel giant Kuoni in India, Karkaria saw the inefficiencies of traditional visa applications firsthand. Applicants often queued overnight outside embassies, enduring long waits and uncertainty. Embassy staff, overwhelmed with administrative tasks, faced growing backlogs and frustrated applicants.
Karkaria’s response was bold: what if embassies outsourced the admin work?
He pitched the idea to the US embassy in Mumbai, proposing a system where the government retained all decision-making authority, but VFS handled the back-end logistics—document scanning, appointment scheduling, and queue management. It took 18 months of persistent pitching, but the embassy agreed. In 2001, VFS Global was born, then still operating under Kuoni.
Creating a Business Model That Worked for Everyone
Rather than charging embassies, VFS developed a service-fee model where applicants paid a small fee for smoother, faster processing. Though the early days were complex—requiring tight compliance with government protocols, data security, and privacy regulations—securing the US as a client helped VFS earn credibility with other nations.
Trust became the cornerstone of VFS’s success. Karkaria implemented rigorous backend operations, emphasizing that even the smallest detail couldn’t go wrong. “Even a minor error in a passport number could mean someone gets turned away at a border. We can't take that risk,” he explained.
A Global Giant is Born
From a single center in Mumbai, VFS Global ballooned into a global empire. As of 2024, the company operates 3,558 centers in 158 countries, processing around 100,000 visa applications daily. In total, it has handled more than 303 million applications and now partners with 69 governments worldwide.
The company’s meteoric rise caught the eye of investors. In October 2021, global investment giant Blackstone Inc. acquired a majority stake, and by 2024, VFS Global was valued at an estimated $7 billion.
The Future: AI, Automation, and Untapped Potential
Despite its size, Karkaria believes there’s still vast room to grow, with 65% of visa processing still not outsourced. To stay ahead, VFS is leaning into emerging technologies. The company is now building Artificial Intelligence hubs in the UAE, Mumbai, Berlin, and Silicon Valley, focused on using AI to further streamline the visa process and introduce predictive analytics, facial recognition, and fraud detection.
“Outsourcing visa services is no longer an option—it’s a necessity,” Karkaria says, pointing to the increasing demand for secure, efficient, and user-friendly global travel solutions.
More Than a Business—A Global Lifeline
In an age where cross-border travel is more essential than ever for business, tourism, and family connections, VFS Global isn’t just a company—it’s a gateway. And thanks to Zubin Karkaria’s relentless drive and belief in technology-led innovation, that gateway is now smoother, faster, and more secure for millions around the world.