France inaugurates new visa center in Erbil
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – France on Monday inaugurated a new visa center in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil, as the European country aims to attract more Kurdish visitors to the country.
TLScontact, a company that manages visa and consular services for government clients, now is authorized to receive visa applications for those who wish to visit the European country, French Consul General Yann Braem announced in Erbil on Tuesday along with senior Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials.
"We would like to attract more investors, students, and tourists to visit France," Braem said.
The company charges no fees for the visa application appointment, the diplomat said.
The TLScontact, according to the diplomat, is the only authorized center that can receive applications, warning against travel agencies that promise French visas to Kurdish citizens.
The head of the KRG Foreign Relations Department Safeen Dizayee echoed a similar warning against fraudulent companies and travel agencies that sometimes abuse the system.
Dizayee wished the diplomatic mission to further facilitate visa issuance to Kurdish citizens, adding there is an uptick in demand for traveling among the Region’s population.
The French diplomatic mission did not elaborate on details of the number of visas issued in 2023.
Erbil and Paris share close economic, cultural, and political ties. The two capitals are sister cities.
The country also maintains a cultural center that provides cultural activities as well as language courses.
As an integral part of the US-led coalition against ISIS, France has provided the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces with training as well as air support in the Kurdish forces’ fight against the terror group between 2014 and 2017.
