JAKARTA - A year-long investigation published by Lighthouse Reports in collaboration with 14 media outlets on May 28 alleges aggressive and, at times, dishonest upselling at VFS Global visa centres. The reporting examined paid add-ons sold to applicants travelling for work, study, tourism and family visits.

VFS Global sits between applicants and consulates, collecting documents, biometrics and fees before forwarding files to government authorities, which alone decide whether a visa is granted. That intermediary role also creates a point of sale because, alongside mandatory charges, applicants may be offered paid extras such as SMS notifications, courier delivery, premium lounge access, photocopying and form-filling assistance.

The reporting drew on internal European Union documents, financial statements, customer receipts and interviews with dozens of current and former staff. Its receipt analysis covered more than 2,000 Swedish visa applications submitted from 16 Asian and African countries during two periods in 2025.

Value-added services accounted for around 30% of VFS-related revenue in the sample. The methodology states that the receipts are not statistically representative of all applicants and cannot establish the circumstances behind each purchase.

In India, value-added services accounted for 40% of VFS-related revenue in the sampled receipts. The share reached 35% in Vietnam. Separate reporting by The Indian Express found similar concerns among applicants interviewed outside visa centres. Nearly half of 85 people questioned at two Delhi locations said they had been pushed toward paid add-ons. Two-thirds of more than 60 applicants interviewed outside a Mumbai centre described the same pressure.

The investigation said VFS Global’s profits increased fourfold between 2017 and 2024, although the number of applications processed rose by 15%. It linked the widening gap to add-on sales. VFS disputed that interpretation and said there had been no material change in value-added-service revenue per application since Blackstone’s investment.

Blackstone first announced an agreement to acquire a majority stake in VFS Global on October 7, 2021. EQT says the sale closed in May 2022.

VFS Global rejected the investigation’s premise. In a May 22 response issued through its lawyers, the company said its add-ons are optional, government-approved and transparently priced. “VFS Global maintains a zero-tolerance approach to any coercion or misrepresentation,” it said. The company also said it undergoes more than 10,000 audits and assessments annually.