For governments seeking to deliver efficient, secure and applicant-focused visa services, visa application centres remain one of the most important touchpoints in the applicant journey. While digitalisation is transforming visa processes, the physical experience continues to play a critical role in shaping applicants’ perceptions of their destination country and of the overall application experience. That is why at TLScontact, we have rolled out new architectural and signage guidelines across our global network. The results demonstrate how thoughtful centre design can positively influence both applicant satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Implementation of new centre guidelines
In view of the importance of the physical journey for visa applicants, TLScontact introduced new global architectural and signage guidelines for its visa application centres in 2023. The objective was clear: to create more welcoming, intuitive and efficient environments that could improve the applicant experience while supporting the delivery of high-quality visa services.
Rollout began in 2023 as part of the renovation of our visa application centres for France in China. Today, the new design is in place across a majority of our centres worldwide.
Why redesigning the centre experience was important
Applying for a visa can be a stressful experience. Applicants are often navigating unfamiliar procedures, preparing important documentation and managing travel plans, all while trying to ensure their application process runs smoothly.
In this context, visa application centres play a significant role. Beyond being solely a place where applications are submitted and biometrics are collected, they serve as a physical gateway to the destination country – the first face-to-face meeting, and an important moment in the overall visa journey for applicants.
The environment applicants encounter can influence how confident, informed and reassured they feel throughout the process. Centre layouts and applicant flows can also directly affect operational efficiency, waiting times and the ability of staff to support applicants effectively.
These considerations formed the foundation of our new design and signage guidelines.
From guidelines to reality: what changed
The new centre concept introduced a more contemporary and applicant-focused approach to the design of visa application centres worldwide.
Warmer colours, natural materials, improved lighting, comfortable waiting areas and a refreshed visual identity were introduced to create a professional, welcoming and reassuring environment from the moment applicants arrive.
Alongside the architectural redesign, TLScontact launched a new signage concept: “your visa centre”. This was developed to create a more personalised experience and help applicants navigate our centres with confidence.
The combination of improved layouts and intuitive signage has helped reduce friction throughout the applicant journey by making processes easier to understand and navigate. Clear directional information, multilingual messaging and carefully positioned wayfinding elements today make it easier for applicants to understand where they need to go and what they need to do at each stage of their visit. Applicants spend less time looking for information or directions and can move through the centre with greater confidence.
While global guidelines provide consistency across the TLScontact network, they are designed to accommodate accessibility needs, local requirements – including language needs – and cultural considerations. Materials are also locally sourced materials whenever possible.
Throughout the redesign process, strict operational, privacy and security requirements remained integral to every project, ensuring that applicant experience enhancements are delivered within the secure framework expected by government clients.
Three years later: the impact
Three years after the introduction of the new guidelines, feedback from applicants highlights the positive impact of the changes.
Insights collected through our Enterprise Feedback Management programme show strong satisfaction levels across key aspects of the centre experience, including comfort and seating availability (8.5/10), amenities (8.3/10), clarity of written information and signage (8.6/10), and cleanliness (9.0/10).
Beyond these scores, applicant feedback consistently highlights the value of clear information, comfortable environments and well-organised centres.
These improvements also support operational performance. When customer flows are easier to manage and applicants require less routine guidance, staff can dedicate more time to delivering personalised assistance where it is needed most. The result is a smoother experience for applicants and more efficient centre operations overall.
Three years after the launch of our new architectural and signage concept, the experience across our global network confirms that centre design can make a meaningful contribution to the quality of visa services, enhancing applicant satisfaction, contributing to a positive image of their destination country, and supporting operational efficiency. education in either France or Belgium.