Changes to the commercial partner visa application services
According to Home Office updates, between September 2024 and January 2025, the commercial partner will change from TLScontact to VFS Global in some locations in:
- Africa
- Europe
- the Middle East
- central Asia
Other parts of the world are not affected.
Commercial partners are commercial organizations to whom Home Office outsources the biometric appointments & documents collection from visa applicants and forwarding them to Home Office UKVI.
We provide more details below.
What you need to do
If your application is affected, you will get emails from TLScontact and VFS Global. Read all emails you receive from TLScontact and VFS Global. They may have actions you need to take to continue your application. Check your junk folders to make sure you have not missed anything.
To confirm the email is genuine, check the sender’s email address ends in either:
- @tlscontact.com
- @vfsglobal.com
Locations changing commercial partner
Belgium – The visa application centre in Belgium will be operated by VFS Global from 3 September 2024. From this date, you will book your appointment with VFS Global.
If you have booked an appointment with TLScontact, you should attend it as normal. You can either:
- upload your supporting documents by 11:59pm on 2 September
- pay for the assisted scanning service when you attend your appointment
Check your email confirmation for the address of your appointment.
Applications from inside the UK
In Autumn 2024, the commercial partner for UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services will change from Sopra Steria to TLScontact. The exact date will be published by the Home Office in the near future.
This change will not affect:
- the decision on your application
- how long it takes to get a decision
- how many appointments are available
