How to open your own visa center? Your own business: how to open a visa center Visa center how to open a business

Visa centers help simplify the visa process. This is a promising and increasingly profitable business. You can open your own company by purchasing a franchise - this way the entrepreneur will receive a ready-made model and tools for organizing a successful and profitable business.

Franchise business is highly popular among Russian entrepreneurs. It is especially profitable to conduct business under the franchising business model in the field of providing service and intermediary services to consumers. One of the most promising, in terms of payback and profitability, is the visa center franchise.

The reason for the growing popularity of visa centers

With the growing level of globalization of humanity, traveling to other countries as a simple tourist, student or employee is becoming increasingly common. According to Rosstat, in 2016, more than 31.5 million departures/flights of Russians abroad were registered.

The most important thing in this case is organizing and obtaining a visa and permits to visit a foreign country. It is advisable to delegate these matters to qualified employees of visa centers.

Briefly. Visa centers provide clients with intermediary services in preparing documents required to obtain a visa and sending them to foreign consulates. Such organizations do not guarantee whether the visa itself will be provided; they only help citizens collect and send the entire package of documentation in accordance with the requirements.

The popularity of visa centers is constantly growing - people prefer to pay extra money instead of wasting their time and effort.

Today in Russia there are not many companies specializing in working with foreign visas. Considering the vast territories of our state and the underdevelopment of the network, this activity is excellent for organizing a small business.

Opening a visa center on your own is not easy. The future entrepreneur will have to stock up on extensive knowledge in this area, including legal knowledge, and establish relationships with various companies, embassies/consulates, etc. This will require not only a lot of time, but also substantial capital.

In this case, it is advisable to buy a franchise of a successful company and open a regional office in your locality. Using a famous brand will arouse consumer sympathy, increase traffic and increase sales. In addition, the buyer will receive a set of all the necessary information to get started without major expenses.

Features of opening a visa center under a franchise

Figure 1. Representative office of Visa Travel.
Source: shipkovdenis.ru

Organization of the activities of a visa center under a franchise has the following characteristic features:

High profitability and relatively low monthly costs. For citizens, a small overpayment for the work of an intermediary company is ultimately much more profitable than collecting and preparing all the papers themselves. The number of tourists is growing every year, and accordingly, the number of potential and actual consumers is also increasing.
An entrepreneur can increase the turnover of his company by providing clients with additional services such as searching and purchasing tickets, insurance, booking hotel rooms, etc.
The franchisee connects to the existing customer base to increase the number of sales and financial and economic indicators. This will help you successfully conduct activities to create your consumer audience.
The franchisor company’s specialists are responsible for the immediate processing and forwarding of client documents to the consulates. That is, a businessman and his direct employees only need to consult the consumer, collect the necessary papers and send them through corporate channels to the central office for further processing.
An entrepreneur can count on the full support of the franchisor. The necessary scripts and documents on business methodology are provided, and the newcomer is explained what he should know and be able to do in this field of activity. Papers (templates, forms) are also supplied by the parent company.
Interesting fact! It is not necessary to look for workers with specific work experience. New employees are trained at the company's central office, where they receive the necessary information and skills for professional work.
It is possible to create your own affiliate network with small travel agencies. Firms of this kind often turn to visa centers for visas - this is a good way to increase their client base and generate additional income.
The activity is carried out under the brand of a well-known company - such a marketing move is important for consumers; people internally trust trusted companies.

At the same time, several disadvantages should be pointed out:

a novice businessman must strictly follow all the requirements set by the franchisor;
The entrepreneur himself is responsible for finding the premises for the future office; he should take care to find the point in a favorable location. The parent company provides money for rent, but sometimes you have to act quickly (so as not to lose a passable place) and invest your own funds;
often franchisees have to buy office equipment with their own money (furniture, equipment - computers, office equipment, office supplies, etc.) - not all franchises include these expense items.

But, despite the possible disadvantages, the advantages outweigh them many times over.

Review of 5 popular visa center franchises

In this section, the reader will be able to study the main conditions and prices offered by well-known visa franchising companies in Russia.

VTS-Consulting

Figure 2. Logo of the VTS-Consulting visa center.
Source: kluch.media

The company was one of the first to enter the visa center franchising market. Helps obtain visas to more than 70 countries. It helps franchise buyers open a website as part of a corporate web resource and provides 24-hour online support.

In the “Standard” package, the franchisee receives:

the right to use the company brand;
Possibility of working with category C visas.

In the “Maximum” package (the cost is twice as expensive), it is additionally possible to open category D visas, as well as the “right to a monopoly” - a specific locality is assigned to one franchisee; other people no longer have the right to purchase a franchise to open a VTS-Consulting representative office there.

Technical support is provided throughout the entire cooperation. According to the franchisor, all investments are fully recouped in 4 months.

Single visa center

Figure 3. Logo of the Unified Visa Center.
Source: fb.ru

The center's branches are located in more than 40 cities of the Russian Federation. There are several franchise options, varying in price and range of services provided.

By purchasing the most affordable “Start” tariff, the franchisee is guaranteed to receive:

manuals, instructions necessary for working with clients and conducting business;
assistance in selecting premises;
comprehensive CRM system;
corporate identity, brand book;
one-page website, groups on social networks;
agreements with clients and other counterparties.

Training and seminars with a personal teacher, access to a database, legal support, money-back guarantee and other services are possible in more expensive types of franchise (priced at 590 thousand and 1,200 thousand rubles).

First visa center

Today I understand that I can provide real assistance to potential entrepreneurs in organizing visa centers.

If you want to open your own visa center, I will help you -)

What is a visa center as an enterprise?

The business model is extremely simple and prosaic. And the independent travel market is growing at a good pace. The model boils down to accepting visa applications from the population, delivering passports to consulates and obtaining approval with the maximum chance of success. Naturally, you can make good money from 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 huge number of subtleties and complexities.

You can use the bonus to earn money by purchasing air and train tickets and booking hotels.

What are the difficulties?

The 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, and this will most likely refuse 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 center generate?

Almost all the founders of visa centers buy apartments for themselves already in the second year (a general trend) - then do the math for yourself. And in cities with a population of over a million ;-)

What are the requirements for opening a visa center?

1.Your desire and adequacy.

2. Possibility of opening 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, setting up logistics for document delivery, work instructions)

2.The website of your visa center with a fully debugged and time-tested website structure.

3.Mini call center to process calls with number 8-800 for your clients.

Why should I help you open visa centers?

I myself have no relation to visa centers; rather, as a rule, I deal with their back-end, so to speak (telephony + website). And I communicate with visa centers as a consumer and 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 included in the creation of your website and the obligatory organization of IP-Telephony. A strange way to find clients for our services? -) But, I 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 a visa center to visit different countries (and maybe even your services directly). Just communism, right? -)

Therefore, if you are interested in such a risky project, you love traveling and know the difference between a Schengen visa and a visa to Thailand, you are sociable and have the potential to lead people - send your applications to me in the feedback form on the website "Opening a visa center" http:/ /vsem-visa.ru

In your 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 move forward from a dead point. You will definitely get an answer.

upd. Changed the feedback method to the contact form on the website. We will answer everyone’s requests personally by e-mail and try to ask additional questions.

For entrepreneurs who want to work in the tourism sector, but do not have a large initial capital, a visa center franchise may be the best solution. This area of business has quite a lot of advantages, including quick payback and high demand for services. We tell you how to choose a franchise, how much money you need to invest and what you need for your own visa center.

Why is this business gaining popularity?

A visa center is a company that acts as an intermediary between an independent tourist and the embassy of the country where he plans to go. Employees of such companies tell clients what documents they need to prepare for permission to visit a particular country, help fill out all the papers and send them to the embassies.

Whether the client receives permission to visit the country does not depend on the visa company (unless the reason for the refusal is due to erroneously prepared documents). Such firms are only intermediaries and therefore are not responsible for the decisions of embassies. However, their services are constantly gaining popularity and here's why.

How to choose a franchise, how much money you need to invest and what you need for your own visa center

The main reasons for the demand for visa centers

Several years ago, visa processing was primarily handled by travel agencies and operators selling trips abroad. Nowadays, the trend towards independent tourism is gaining momentum: people do not buy trips, but plan their holidays on their own, without the help of travel agencies.

But while it’s quite easy to book tickets and a hotel room yourself, not everyone can apply for a visa without outside help. Therefore, people turn to specialized specialists who tell them what documents are needed for a visit to a particular country and help them prepare them correctly.

Each state has its own requirements for foreign tourists. For example, to visit Greece, Russians only need copies of a regular and international passport, as well as several photographs. To visit the USA you will have to fill out an application and undergo an interview. Visa intermediaries help you understand all these subtleties.

In addition, to obtain a visa you often need to visit embassies. In Russia, all foreign embassies are concentrated in Moscow, and it can be very problematic for residents of other cities to come there. Visa centers also solve this problem - they deal with sending and receiving documents (except for those cases when a personal visit is required for an interview or submission of biometric data).

Not everyone can apply for a visa without outside help, so people turn to specialized specialists

Will a visa center in your city be in demand?

Before you think about buying a franchise, it is important to understand whether such services are in demand in your city. To do this, you need to find out:

population of the city (or region), what percentage of citizens actively travel;
how popular are visa destinations (in any case, they are inferior to visa-free ones, but it is important that a significant part of the population has a request for such services);
how many representatives of the “middle class” there are in the city (they are usually the ones who go to countries with a visa regime);
Are there other visa intermediaries in the city (if there are, the situation becomes more complicated, since your services with your competitor will be completely duplicated).

Buying a franchise: top 5 franchisors

Let's assume that market analysis shows that high demand for services is expected. How to open a visa center in your city? The easiest and most effective way to do this is purchase a franchise. Along with the right to work under a well-known brand, an entrepreneur who buys a franchise acquires a business plan, valuable advice and recommendations, and assistance in opening.

There are several visa companies on the Russian market that are building their own franchise network. The most active are:

Poehali. The lump-sum fee is 108 thousand rubles, there is no monthly payment. This is one of the inexpensive franchises that guarantees the entrepreneur full support from scratch, the opportunity to work and consult in a unified information system. The company annually helps 2.5 million clients obtain visas, including those in the “difficult” countries of the European Union and the United States.
Visa Travel. One-time contribution - 200 thousand rubles, royalties - 5000 rubles. The company has been operating since 2014, but already has a network of 40 offices. It also guarantees full support and support in the first stages of work.
VTS-Consulting. Lump sum contribution - 150 thousand rubles, royalty - 4500 rubles. One of the first franchisors of visa centers. Offers several packages for franchisees (they differ in the range of services and cost). For a separate price, the company offers to purchase the right to a monopoly - that is, “to gain a foothold” in any city without competitors.
First visa center. Lump sum payment - 350 thousand rubles, monthly contribution - 7500 rubles. The company already has representative offices in 75 cities of Russia. The franchisor helps you choose a location for an office, draw up a business plan, provides software for working with clients, and advertises the new company within 2 months.
Single visa center. One-time contribution - from 250 to 900 thousand rubles, royalties - up to 9,000 rubles (one of the highest). The company offers several franchise options for cities and regions and promises an income of 150 thousand rubles after just 3 months of operation. Of course, like other franchisors, it provides full support, advice and assistance.

The choice of franchise may be determined by cost, company reputation and volume of services.

Thus, in the visa company franchise market there are several successful and well-established organizations that are developing their own networks and are interested in opening their representative offices in new regions. The choice of franchise may be determined by cost, company reputation and volume of services.- therefore, before purchasing, you should carefully study the company’s websites.

Opening costs

People without entrepreneurial experience often believe that the lump sum fee is all the expenses that they will have to incur when opening their own franchise business. It's not like that at all. A lump-sum or one-time payment to the franchisor is a payment for the right to work under a well-known brand, a fee for assistance in starting a business.

This money does not include a number of important expenses, which the entrepreneur will have to carry out “on the spot”, that is, in his region. These include:

rental and renovation of premises;
purchase of furniture, appliances and equipment (computers and printers);
purchase of stationery, paper and consumables;
wages to employees in the first months of work.

Thus, in addition to funds for the lump sum contribution, the entrepreneur must provide for opening costs in the amount of 150-200 thousand rubles. That is, together with the purchase of a franchise, opening a visa company will cost 400-800 thousand rubles.

Business profitability: how quickly the invested money pays off

A significant advantage of the business of brokering visas is the fairly high cost of services coupled with low costs during their provision. In this case, the client pays the company for the work done in any case, even if he was refused by the embassy.

In fact, to process documents, visa center employees do not need anything other than their own skills, reference information and a computer. An entrepreneur in this industry is completely free from purchasing raw materials, establishing technological processes and similar work typical of most other industries.

How much do Visa Application Centers earn?

It is difficult to answer unequivocally what level of income a visa center can reach. The fact is that the amount of income will directly depend on the flow of clients - in large and small cities it differs significantly. The number of applications to visa centers also depends on the season- by the summer season and New Year holidays it is very significant, in early spring and autumn it drops rapidly. A good result for an average city would be a milestone 100 thousand rubles per month.

The advantage of business is the high cost of services

To increase profits, you need to properly advertise yourself (including with the help of a good reputation), as well as provide related services - buy tickets, order transfers, book hotels and provide advice on traveling to different countries.

Competent employees are the key to success

It directly follows from the previous paragraph that the success of the visa center depends largely on the competence of its employees. Staff formation is a very serious issue. Preparation of documents for the embassies of foreign countries, although not the most difficult work, but it requires:

ability to quickly navigate among various visa requirements;
work carefully with documents, do not miss errors and typos;
Clearly explain to clients what is required of them.

Finding such specialists is not easy. Therefore, the best option is to train them. Purchasing a franchise is also optimal for this purpose. All companies provide their franchisees with training kits, and some even conduct special courses and trainings.

In visa processing, it is very important to keep track of all changes in the requirements for paperwork and market trends in general. Therefore, the owner of the visa application center must not only train his employees for the first time, but also regularly improve their skills.

The average salary of such workers in the regions is 25-30 thousand rubles. Usually includes the base salary and a percentage for the number of clients served. Depending on the size of the company, there may be from 2 to 8 managers on staff.

Does a visa center need a marketer?

The payback of the visa center and its profit depend on advertising and the number of attracted customers. Therefore, the help of a marketer at the first stages of work is very important - he will help build an advertising campaign and “teach” you how to attract more customers.

When applying for visas, it is very important to keep track of all changes in the requirements for paperwork.

On the other hand, if an entrepreneur buys a franchise, he receives recommendations and rules that he must follow when promoting in the market. In most cases, they are so complex that no other specialists need to be involved in advertising. Whether to hire a marketer on staff, decide when you study the conditions of the franchise you are purchasing.

Strengths and weaknesses of visa center franchises

Now that we have considered the main components of the costs of opening a franchise visa center and the features of the work of such companies, we can summarize and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of such a business. Based on this analysis, you can finally decide whether this type of business is suitable for you and whether it is promising in your city.

Disadvantages of opening a visa center as a franchise

Increased costs due to lump sum payment. Opening a visa center is inexpensive, only 150-200 thousand rubles are enough. But the initial payment to the franchisor multiplies the initial capital by 2.
If there is low demand for this type of service in a city - there are few people interested in traveling, low incomes for the majority of citizens - the investment will most likely not pay for itself.
Clients have little understanding of visa companies; most people do not know which companies operate as franchises and which operate independently. After all, in the end they are only interested in high-quality services. There are no very famous companies in this area, which means that you won’t be able to attract many clients with just one name.
To obtain visas from a number of countries, fingerprints of the citizen applying to visit the country are required. No commercial organization has the right to carry out such procedures. A visit to the embassy is required. This factor has a very adverse effect on the work of regional visa centers. If in the near future there is another tightening of rules in European countries (there have already been many of them over the past few years), this will again hit visa companies in medium-sized and small cities - their services will not be needed, because clients will have to go to Moscow in any case .

Benefits of a Franchise

Along with the purchase of a franchise, an entrepreneur receives a lot of valuable information, both about the organizational side of the matter and up-to-date information about the rules for issuing visas to different countries (without a franchise, they would have to collect them on their own for a long time).
Most franchisors provide employee training. That is, the entrepreneur will not have to look for workers who understand visas - they will be trained from scratch.
In the process of work, franchisors advise on problematic issues of working with clients.

Conclusion

A franchise visa center is a good idea for entrepreneurs who want to start working in the field of outbound tourism. It does not require a lot of expenses and even with a lump sum payment it costs 500 thousand rubles. At the same time, its profitability is very high; all investments can be recouped in 4-5 months.

Anyone who wants to know how to open a private visa center in their city on their own understands that this is a non-standard type of business that generates significant income. To own such an organization, you must have good clerical skills, as well as carefully study a number of nuances unique to this form of employment.

Business Attractiveness

Visa centers are organizations that specialize in providing assistance to clients wishing to obtain a visa to travel abroad. The most frequent visitors to such institutions are people who have just decided to leave their home country for the first time on vacation or a business trip and do not know how to proceed with the necessary paperwork.

There are several opportunities to fill out the appropriate papers and obtain permission to visit a distant country:

at the Embassy;
at the visa center;
work independently.

In fact, if the cooperation is tied to the services of a travel company, the employees of this organization, in order not to lose clients, take on all the difficulties with paperwork. If in a big city there is an embassy of a country that a future tourist wants to visit, it is quite natural that his first step is to go there. But independent registration is only possible for experienced travelers who know where and what offices to go to and have a huge amount of free time needed to walk in line.

Center services

Private visa centers are among the developed commercial organizations that provide paid services to all interested visitors. At their core, these companies become a kind of buffer - a link between the population and the embassies of various states.

All income of a visa center is determined by the number of clients it manages to serve.

Therefore, it is in the owner’s interests not only to have a good understanding of all the possible intricacies of preparing the necessary documents, but also to recruit highly qualified staff that he can control.

The process of applying for a visa is as follows:

customer contact with the company;
obtaining advice and a list of required documents;
checking the brought papers for correctness of filling;
documents are sent by a company representative to the embassy of the country chosen by the client;
obtaining ready-made travel documents after a while;
payment for services by the visitor.

To increase the influx of visitors, it is beneficial for the owner of a visa center to monitor the market and enlist the support of the embassies of the powers that residents of the region most often seek to visit.

Organizational nuances

Those who understand how to open a visa center need to know that the process of opening a company itself is not associated with the need to obtain special permits for its activities from embassies or consuls. This is an exclusively business activity, since the visa center performs the functions of an intermediary completely legally, relying solely on the commercial basis of entrepreneurship.

The big advantage of the job is that the future business owner only needs to go through without obtaining special certificates or licenses. But he needs to carefully study the necessary subtleties in paperwork. If embassy employees discover errors or inconsistencies, the client may not receive a visa, which will undermine the authority of the center. Several such mistakes will lead to the company earning a bad reputation - word of mouth will work.

Start of service provision

As a starting capital, the owner of a visa center only needs to have 2 thousand dollars. For this money you need:

It is preferable for the office to be located in the business part of the old city - the most prestigious place in the opinion of many citizens.

Website creation

Since such companies survive by attracting the maximum number of clients, it is also worth ordering or creating your own website, the pages of which must include:

Contact details;
prices;
last news;
reference materials;
filling samples;
online applications.

Such transparency of work will definitely appeal to site visitors and, accordingly, future clients.

Opening a visa center does not require large investments, and its organization is very simple and possible in the shortest possible time. Finding a worthy niche in this business is quite simple, because the market is not yet saturated with such offers.

How to start a business from scratch: Video

"Unified Visa Center" specializes in providing assistance in obtaining visas, as well as related travel services: booking tickets and hotel rooms, travel health insurance.
For 8 years, thanks to well-established business processes, the company has become one of the major players in the tourism market.

Our goal

Building a system to simplify the procedure for obtaining a visa for all citizens of the Russian Federation as much as possible

Why our franchise
No. 1 on the market

Registered trademark
Fully automated business processes
Registration of the agreement with Rospatent
Working with consulates directly
Golden Rule: A partner is more important than a lump sum
Flexible contract terms

Choose your start!

Open your visa application center under the EVC franchise and get instant access to loyal clients our extensive network.

"Giving Cities"

City population:

5-150 thousand inhabitants

For cities where there are no EVC offices yet. The price of the lump sum contribution is equal to the population.

"Starting"

City population:

150-400 thousand inhabitants

Master a new direction in business and earn up to 2,000,000 rubles on visas.

"Big city"

City population:

more than 400 thousand inhabitants

Become the largest visa center in the city by creating a powerful player in the visa services market.

A ready-made brand is profitable!

By opening a visa center under the EVC franchise, you get a ready-made brand and access to the accumulated communication channels with official representations of most foreign countries.

Active sales

The name of the visa application center with a good reputation allows you to start active sales within a month after signing the contract.

High yield

A markup on services from 30 to 40% will ensure quick self-sufficiency and bring from 100,000 rubles of net profit already in the 3rd month of work.

Success Guarantee

We are ready to document the figures given in the example. By submitting a request, you will receive a detailed report on the sales of our offices.

Partner Reviews

I wanted to open my own business processing visas.
Larger number of franchisees and positive reviews. I met with the management of the company and was convinced that I had made the right choice. The desire to develop business not only within the central center, but also in the regions. I understand that EVC is a strong brand focused on high quality services and customer service.
Sophisticated organization: CPM, delayed business processes, well-known brand, support of the curator on visa issues. The services we sell are ordered only through the EVC.
Opportunity for development in the field of visa services, improvement of processes and attitude to leadership positions.
We were able to win the trust and gratitude of most of the customers who came to us. We do now from 100 visas. per month.
What could set us apart from similar proposals in this area?
More offices in Russia, negative reviews about other Visa Application Centers, EVC style.
Who would you recommend our franchise to?
Those who are not afraid of a lot of work and want to develop in this very interesting area.

What issue did you contact us to solve?
I always worked as a manager, but I wanted my own business. My husband and I started looking for a business in the field of visas or tours. In the end we settled on visas.
What convinced you most when choosing our franchise?
I flew personally to Krasnodar in order to get to know the company and its employees. The director of franchising gave me a tour. I looked at how the call center, production department, and visa managers work. A week later we signed an agreement.
What is your opinion about the franchise? What did you like most?
It is important for us to apply for France in Moscow, and thanks to the employees of the Franchising Department in Moscow, our clients receive visas from half a year to 5 years. This has had a positive impact on our customer base.
What is the main value of our franchise?
24/7 support with both managers and executives.
What results were you able to achieve?