Today I understand that I can provide real assistance to potential entrepreneurs in organizing visa centers.
If you want to open your visa center - I will help you -)
What is a Visa Application Center as a business?
The business model is extremely simple and down-to-earth. And the independent travel market is growing at a good pace. The model boils down to accepting applications for visas from the population, delivering passports to consulates and getting approvals with the maximum chance of success. Naturally, you can make good money on these services.
A visa center is a fairly marginal enterprise in the service sector. Ideal for a quick start. But don't think it will be easy. There are a lot of subtleties and complexities.
As a bonus, you can try to make money by buying air and railway tickets, booking hotels.
What are the difficulties?
Ability to locate the visa center in the right place (City, Street), to accept applications correctly (make mistakes or insist on the wrong country and the client will be refused), to be able to do the correct "scoring" (to understand that such and such a consulate will give approval to this person, but this is more likely to fail with maximum success.
All this is certain knowledge based on endless experience.
How much does it cost to open a visa center?
The cost of opening a visa center is 50,000 rubles.
How much profit does the Visa Application Center bring?
Almost all the founders of visa centers are buying apartments for themselves in the second year (a general trend) - then count yourself. Moreover, in cities with a population of over one million ;-)
What are the requirements for opening a visa center?
1. Your desire and adequacy.
2.The availability of an opportunity to open a visa center in your city (assessed by our specialists)
What will you get with our help in opening a visa center?
1.Instructions for opening a visa center (assistance with opening an office, debugging logistics for the delivery of documents, instructions for work)
2. The Internet site of your visa center with a fully debugged and time-tested site structure.
3.Mini call-center for handling calls with the number 8-800 for your clients.
Why should I help you open visa centers?
I myself have nothing to do with visa centers, rather I usually deal with them, if I may say so, back-end (telephony + website). And I communicate with visa centers as a consumer and a service provider. All I will do is give you the contacts of an experienced founder of visa centers (branches in 3 cities) who is ready to help you. My earnings are in the creation of your website and the mandatory organization of IP-Telephony. A strange way to find clients for our services? -) But, I've never looked for easy ways. And the more profitable you are and the more calls you make, the more often I will use the services of the Visa Application Center to visit different countries (or maybe even direct your services). Just communism, right? -)
Therefore, if you are interested in such a risky project, you love travel and you know how a Schengen visa differs from a visa to Thailand, sociable and inside there is a potential for leading people - send your applications to me in the feedback form on the website "Opening a Visa Center" http: / /vsem-visa.ru
In the application, indicate the city where you want to open a visa center, why you want to do this and ask the most daring questions. The matter will get off the ground. You will definitely get an answer.
upd. Changed the way of feedback to a contact form on the site. We will leave applications for everyone, I answer personally by e-mail and I try to ask additional questions.
Aspiring entrepreneurs who are not afraid of the prospect of constantly working with documentation and who can boast of excellent self-organization and excellent ability to work with people should think about how to open a visa center in their city.
About competitors
In large settlements, businessmen who have decided to try themselves in this area will face a lot of competition, but for a small town such a thing will be a real godsend. The fact is that far from everywhere there are embassies of other countries, and it is there that travelers are issued visas. Therefore, most tourists prefer not to travel to megacities, but to entrust the work with documents to intermediaries.
So, if you start a business in a small town, you will not have competitors in the face of the embassies, but there will be one more rival. We are talking about travel agencies - usually such companies also help in obtaining visas. But this competitor is not so difficult to turn into an ally.
There are many travel agencies that use the services of commercial visa centers themselves, not wanting to waste staff time and effort on paperwork. Taking into account the above factors, it is safe to say that opening a visa center is a very promising idea, so we will consider it in more detail.
Start-up capital
The specificity of business for issuing visas is that there is no golden mean, the format of a medium-sized company. You either spend about 60-100 thousand rubles on renting a tiny office and the work of two operators who simply advise clients before going to the embassy, or invest from 1 million rubles and get a spacious room and a whole staff of employees. The people you hire will constantly travel on business trips, apply for travelers at embassies, and establish contacts with many travel agencies.
Franchise as an option
However, if you still do not want to risk large sums, there is another option for you - the purchase of a ready-made franchise business. In this case, you will spend 150-300 thousand rubles. This amount will include:
- the actual purchase of the franchise;
- paperwork (registration of LLC);
- installation of the most necessary equipment;
- office space rental;
- PR company.
If you purchase a visa application center franchise, you will have every chance to recoup the business in 3-4 months, having received the first profit in 20-30 days.
At the same time, the owner of the business will always be able to help you in difficult moments, and in return you will pay service fees.
Buying a ready-made business usually does not attract entrepreneurs who want to be able at any time to adjust or radically change their business policy or redesign the concept of an establishment, expanding the range of services provided, and approaching the company's work in a creative way. However, the visa center is not the area where the creative approach is most important, which means that the likelihood of conflicts with the franchisor on such occasions is minimal.
Organization of the workflow
So you've decided to invest in a franchise or start your own company. To make you understand the specifics of the work, we will try to describe a typical working day in your office.
In the morning, on a first-come, first-served basis (or, if the center is already quite well-known and it has become difficult to go to the employee at any time, by appointment) clients come to you. They describe the situation, find out the details, and then proceed to permitting procedures.
Typically, the services of a visa center include:
- consultation on filling out the questionnaire;
- photocopying of documents;
- photo for a visa;
- registration of medical insurance;
- payment of the consular fee.
In different visa centers the cost of one visit is 2300–4600 rubles. Having received all the documents, the employee of the company goes to the nearest consulate or embassy and in every possible way helps the client to obtain a visa. Since the services provided by the visa center are purely intermediary, its staff cannot make a decision to issue an exit document on their own.
It also happens that the embassy refuses a tourist. This happens most often if the traveler:
In almost all problems, the mediator is able to influence the successful outcome of the case. If the tourist himself may become confused during the conversation and his behavior seems suspicious to the embassy staff, a good agent is likely to help the client get a visa, even if there are difficulties in the process of obtaining it.
Premises
Before you open a visa center, you should choose a room wisely. You may have to examine more than a dozen options in order to end up renting an office that:
- takes at least 100-120 m 2;
- located in a non-residential category in the first line (or in a business center);
- may be or is already equipped with a safe, furniture, office equipment.
It is also highly desirable to place a call center and a courier service on the premises. You can even organize a ticket office where air and train tickets will be sold.
Naturally, the owner of a visa center should never save on the services of an Internet provider, especially if the company has its own website. The presence of a web resource, by the way, will greatly help you in working with regular customers and in finding new ones.
Staff
If you are opening a general visa application center, you will need to hire many truly qualified staff. Immediately find experienced and responsible people for positions such as:
- manager;
- administrator;
- call center operator;
- document processing operator;
- courier or assistant.
Particular attention should be paid to the candidate for the manager's position. If you make even one mistake in planning your work schedule, your client will not receive a visa on time and this will undermine the reputation of the entire company.
Of course, it is better to follow the work yourself, but in the event of force majeure it will be difficult without a manager, especially if you help people get to different states, and do not specialize in two or three main areas. More applications - more profit, but also more embassies, where your employees should be in the shortest possible time.
Promotion
To attract new customers in the first days of the company's operation, you can:
How to start a business from scratch: Video
Quite often, many are faced with the problem of the difficult self-opening of a visa. This occupation takes a lot of time, effort and, what is most unpleasant, nerves. Travel agencies often provide assistance in obtaining visas. However, there are specialized places that provide visa support. And they are called visa centers. Today we will talk about how to open this very visa center.
Before you talk about the opening of this enterprise, you need to find out what it is. This is necessary in order to more accurately understand the essence of this matter, its subtleties and main aspects. Without a complete understanding of him, there is no point in even thinking about opening a business.
What is a Visa Application Center?
So, this enterprise is a commercial structure that provides assistance in opening visas for entry into a particular state. His income depends on the number of submitted visa documents. It is convenient to contact such centers for those who, for some reason, do not have the opportunity to independently apply for a visa. However, the greatest convenience in a visa center is for those in whose locality there is no corresponding consulate or embassy. The Visa Center collects documents for visas, and then itself is engaged in their submission and receipt of ready-made passports. In simple terms, a visa center is an unofficial intermediary between the required embassy and the person who needs a visa. The representative of the visa center is involved in the delivery of documents for the application of a visa, as well as its return to the client.
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Main aspects of opening a visa center
To open your visa center, you do not need to apply to the consulate of the required state for permission. This is an intermediary type of activity. Designed as a commercial structure.
There are two legal forms to choose from: individual entrepreneur or LLC. No license is required for this type of activity.
Would need:
- staff;
- office space (preferably in the city center);
- if possible, courier delivery;
- start-up capital (estimated at about 60 thousand Russian rubles).
In addition, the logistics policy needs to be carefully considered. Particular attention should be paid to a thorough study of the procedure for filling out the visa application form with which you have to deal. A mistake in this case will cost your reputation.
In addition, you will need to open your own call center (with a special short number), which will be able to receive calls online. Having your own website where you can register online, find the necessary documents is the most important moment for this business.
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Enterprise profitability
This type of entrepreneurship assumes a fairly high income in the first months. Its location is of great importance here. It shouldn't be easier for a client to travel to the nearest major city than to ask for support in the center. Thus, the demand for the enterprise must be carefully analyzed.
To increase profitability, you can sell tickets for trains and planes. A good solution would be the introduction of an additional paid service for filling out a questionnaire, as well as for an urgent photo. In addition - copying services. In reality, in one place you can collect a full range of services that are required to open a visa.
Summarizing all of the above, we can say with confidence that opening a visa center is a fairly profitable and good business. This niche is practically free, especially in small towns. It is worth trying to make money on this, since the enterprise does not carry huge risks, and something extraordinary is not required to execute it. You can try your luck.
Today you will hardly meet a person who has not traveled abroad at least once a year. People go, first of all, to have a rest, but also for studies, work, to visit relatives and friends. Since most countries provide for a visa regime for visiting, the paperwork can be delayed indefinitely. Therefore, people today tend to entrust the process of registration to professionals - employees of the visa center.
An entrepreneur who wants to open his visa center has two ways: to build a business from scratch and develop his brand, or to use ready-made business processes by buying a franchise. Both ways have their pros and cons, but today we'll talk about buying a visa application center franchise. I think this option is more effective, because the visa topic is very specific and requires a lot of theoretical training.
There are visa centers that offer different types of services in terms of complexity and directions. For example, some visa centers specialize only in tourist destinations, but such information can also be obtained through a travel agency franchise.
There are also more serious companies, for example, "Second Passport" allows its franchisees to issue not only a tour visa, but also deal with immigration issues, and here is completely different money.
Why a Visa Application Center Franchise, and Not Your Brand Development
Franchising in Russia today is very popular, which is facilitated by the instability of the economy and the global crisis. Buying a franchise of a well-known brand implies the use of all the franchisor's developments, as well as his support and assistance at all stages of business development.
In the article, I tell you whether it is profitable to open a business visa center for a franchise. In order not to be mistaken in your choice, you must carefully check the franchise. I have practical experience in the selection and audit of franchises, so you can contact me for help!
Let's list the main advantages of opening a visa center for a franchise:
- The franchisor provides streamlined business processes: a beginner does not need to try various mechanisms, as well as develop internal documentation.
- Providing counterparties, schemes for working with them and loyalty programs: applying for a visa involves interaction with various authorities, which is very difficult for an average person, but the franchisor will give you well-oiled work schemes and reduced prices for cooperation.
- It is possible to work through the head office: at the initial stage or throughout the entire period of work, you can cooperate with the head office for obtaining visas, you will collect packages of clients' documents and send them to the franchisor's office.
- Personnel training is carried out by the franchisor: they will help you to select personnel and train them properly. Also, a responsible employee from the franchisor's team will periodically conduct control cuts for your employees.
- Providing a client base: at the start-up stage, the franchisor will provide about 100 clients for a prompt and efficient start.
- Co-advertising: The franchisor will reduce marketing costs by enabling you to participate in federal advertising and develop effective regional advertising campaigns.
- Shared Site: Most brand owners provide you with a separate domain on a shared site, which builds a good reputation for your office.
What to look for when choosing a visa application center franchise
The choice of a franchisor should be approached very thoroughly, because the success of your business equally depends on you and the brand owner.
The first thing to consider is the legal due diligence of the franchise.
It is necessary to clarify when and to whom the legal entity and the trademark were registered. Did the owner of the brand have any legal proceedings and is there at the moment, if they are completed - to clarify with what outcome.
The next step is to thoroughly study the documentation provided by the franchisor. Particular attention must be paid to the agreement: since today franchising in Russia is not regulated by a typical document, it is necessary to clarify all the controversial points so as not to be a loser in the future.
The final stage is communication with current and former franchisees. You need to talk openly on behalf of a potential partner, and also call the offices under the guise of a client. You will be able to find out whether corporate standards are being followed, whether the staff is properly trained.
Payback of the visa center
Since the financial component is very important for entrepreneurs, we will consider this aspect using the example of two well-known franchises and analyze the payback period based on the data provided.
Based on the data in the table, we can say that the payback of a business for a franchise visa center will be from 6 months. The minimum initial investment is approximately RUB 500,000.
If we compare the two brands reviewed, I believe Visa Travel is in the lead. The franchisor offers several packages depending on the population of your city and personal preferences. Among the advantages are:
- an extensive knowledge base in a convenient format, transferred to the franchisee;
- quality control of visa specialists;
- frequent theoretical and practical webinars;
- duty visa specialist and the possibility of processing documents through the head office.
Important tip: since the visa topic is largely tied to the seasonality factor, as well as regional characteristics, it is important to take this point into account and have capital for an emergency.