{"id":851196,"date":"2026-02-17T08:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T06:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=851196"},"modified":"2026-02-17T09:45:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T07:45:37","slug":"discovery-launches-new-visa-centre-for-customers-travelling-to-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/851196\/discovery-launches-new-visa-centre-for-customers-travelling-to-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery launches new visa centre for customers travelling to the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South African Financial services group Discovery has launched a first-of-its-kind visa application centre for Discovery Bank clients heading to the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The initiative is being run in partnership with VFS Global and is a dedicated application centre operating out of the group&#8217;s HQ at the Discovery Store, 1 Discovery Place, Sandton, Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The United Kingdom is the most popular international holiday destination for Vitality Travellers,&#8221; the group said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It noted that over 16,000 Vitality members and their families travelled on discounted flights between South Africa and the UK in 2025, explaining the rationale for the move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This works in combination with the group&#8217;s international flight discounts of up to 75% with Vitality Travel, as well as the Smart ID and passport services\u2014both run from the same location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hylton Kallner, CEO of Discovery Bank, said the services integrate with the bank&#8217;s ecosystem and mark a significant step in its vision of making banking and travel more seamless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Discovery Store, a physical representation of the Discovery brand, is already a one-stop destination where clients can apply for an ID or passport, complete health assessments and manage their financial needs,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow, by integrating a dedicated UK visa application centre right here, we are creating a truly integrated and convenient hub for our clients.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>VFS Global added that this marks the first dedicated UK visa application centre in South Africa. However, it stressed that the groups only provide administrative support and do not influence visa processing timelines or decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All applications are assessed and determined by UK Visas &amp; Immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To use the service, Discovery Bank clients must complete the visa application form on www.gov.uk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once they\u2019ve received a reference number, clients can book an appointment to visit the visa centre through Vitality Travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in to the Vitality Travel booking platform from their laptop or desktop computer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select &#8220;New Visa Support Appointment&#8221; at the top of the page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select &#8220;Book your appointment&#8221; and complete the form to schedule an appointment with VFS Global at 1 Discovery Place.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Discovery noted that the service will operate on two tiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All Discovery Bank clients will have access to the exclusive visa application centre, while Discovery Bank Purple clients will have access to a &#8220;premium at-home service&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the application centre:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clients gain complimentary, exclusive access to the appointment-only visa application centre at 1 Discovery Place in Sandton. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The facility offers shorter wait times and a bespoke service for document submission and biometric enrolment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For the Purple at-home service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Discovery Bank Purple clients enjoy discounted, premium benefits, including access to the On-Demand Mobile Visa (ODMV) service. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dedicated Purple Travel Consultants will help Purple clients schedule an appointment in the comfort of their home or office in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban or Pretoria. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>During the appointment, VFS Global will process their visa application, enrol biometrics, and collect their passport in a central location.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All bookings are by appointment only, and walk-ins won\u2019t be accommodated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discovery has launched a first-of-its-kind visa application centre for Discovery Bank clients heading to the UK.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":812767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[12923,16540,1837],"class_list":["post-851196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-discovery-bank","tag-vfs-global","tag-visa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851196"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":851197,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851196\/revisions\/851197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/812767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}