Some countries have made negative Covid-19 test certificate a mandatory requirement on arrival. To facilitate this travel demand, VFS Global has started an online appointment booking service for Covid-19 RT-PCR sample collection in select Indian cities — Delhi, Kochi and Mumbai.
The visa outsourcing and technology services company is offering this facility in collaboration with a network of certified medical laboratories approved by the Government of India. Appointments can be booked on vfsglobal.com.
‘At Your Doorstep’ services are also offered in Mumbai, Delhi and Kochi, enabling sample collection from the customer’s home. Samples are collected by medical professionals from respective medical laboratories and the reports are sent with full confidentiality to the registered email address of the customer.
The sample collection service is not just limited to travellers and is open for all, under local regulations and only with a doctor’s prescription in Delhi and Kochi.
Steps to apply for the Covid-19 RT-PCR test sample collection service:
- Schedule an appointment online.
- Provide your Aadhaar Card or Voter ID Card or Passport Number and personal information before making the payment using a debit or credit card.
- Proceed to provide a sample as per the appointed date, time and location.
Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group chief operating officer, south Asia, middle east and north Africa, and Americas said, “We believe a convenient and reliable pre-departure Covid-19 sample collection/testing solution can become a catalyst in the recovery process of international travel by providing an assurance to destination countries, airlines and travellers and by becoming a major risk-mitigator.
“Countries might even consider making this mandatory for incoming travellers to ease the pressure of testing upon arrival.”
The service will be introduced in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune soon.