Everything You Need to Know about CKGS

Those that are coming from outside of the United States might know that without a well-documented visa, you will not be allowed to enter or stay within the country. If it’s not your first rodeo, then chances are that you might know how to do everything yourself and where to sign next. However, if it is indeed your first time, then you might not know exactly what it is that you are supposed to do – in which case, you might need some help from companies such as the CKGS.

What Is CKGS?

Founded in 1758 by Richard Cox, you may say that the CKGS (also referred to as Cox & Kings Ltd.) is one of the longest-running travel agencies. With its headquarters in India, the company also features subsidiaries in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. At this point, the company features operations that are spreading across 4 continents and 22 countries.

Speaking from a historical point of view, CKGS has been quite a lot of things: an army agent, a publisher, a printer, and a travel agent. However, its main activities now include packaged holiday sales. It caters to leisure and corporate travel for NRI, visa processing, renewal of your passport or its renunciation, trade fairs, translation, foreign exchange – but also luxurious travel escapades for those that simply want a break.

What Services Does CKGS Offer?

As mentioned, the CKGS provides quite a number of services for non-resident Indians (NRI) that wish to travel. Among these services, the following options are included:

Application and Document Management

For people that do not exactly have the time to submit all the applications or do complicated paperwork, CKGS provides the Application and Document Management (ADM) service. This service is very convenient for many people, as it eliminates the use of unwieldy paperwork, increases applicant convenience, and reduces the physical office overhead.

Simply put, the ADM takes all your documents, processes them and ensures everything is nice and in order – in a secure way. This will save you not only a lot of time but also quite a lot of money – which means that you will be able to get your visa sooner than anticipated.

Translation

When you are traveling to the United States from India, it’s clear that you can’t exactly go with paperwork written only in the Indian or English language. You will have to bring a copy of that document in both languages. For this reason, the CKGS also provides services for those that are in need of translations, regardless of their nature.

As such, you may need an immigration application, residential proof, financial documents – or any kind of immigration or business documents that have been translated in both languages.  This way, you will make sure that everything is done in an accurate and legal manner.

Biometrics Enrollment

Handling the biometrics enrolment is often one of the most troublesome and confusing parts when you are trying to get your B1 or B2 visa. This is why, by opting for the biometrics service provided by the CKGS, you should be able to take out the bulk of the process as it streamlines the identity management and enrollment processes.

This service also enables high-security standards so that you know for certain the information you provide stays secure. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is also reduced, the clients having the ability to actually save funds in comparison to doing all the work themselves. They also provide great flexibility and efficiency so that everything is done as quickly as possible.

Financial Services

The CKGS also provides quite a lot of financial services for those that are in need of them. These services have the aim to reduce the total costs, streamline finances management, and maintain the compliances in regard to auditory requirements. Simply put, the process allows you to simplify the administrative process, but also to permit quick and easy access to the information that you need.

Among the most important services, you might get an advantage from the following financial services.

• Transaction handling
• Financial accounting and reconciliation
• Financial support

These services were made to help you keep an eye on how your finances are progressing, no matter if you are going for a B2 visa or any other kind of travel visa. It’s a hassle-free way to manage your costs, all while having complete access to your most important financial costs – therefore, allowing you to save money.

Information Management

Since information management and privacy are a priority when it comes to handling your visa paperwork, the CKGS also offers these services to you. You will also receive access to essential information in a safe and secure way – but also in a format that is very easy to consume.

The information provided is made available to the user through the Contact Centre Solutions team – using every major offline and online channels across the map. This can be done by achieving perfect integration between secure storage services, business processes, content management, digital solutions, and CRM platforms.

You also have quite a number of interactive voice response (IVR) services, along with social network platforms that will make sure you get all the information that you need in a manner that is as timely as possible. The staff there also speaks multiple languages, so whether you are fluent in English or Indian, you are sure to come across someone able to understand you.

Operations Support

The CKGS motto when it comes to operation support is “optimizing, agile, optimized.” The optimization of operational performance is a very important objective in business and government. This way, whenever something of great importance occurs, you will be able to get the operational support that you need in order for things to develop flawlessly.

The CKGS operations support service has quite a number of capabilities. For once, you get live support along with smarter self-service – all of which generally leads to fewer support calls. Due to the efficient governing capabilities, you also get better utilization of the funds, but also of the resources. The purpose of this service is to deliver increased revenue, lower the cost – and obviously, enhance the loyalty of the customers.

Tourism Representation

The last important service on the CKGS list – but not least – is the tourism representation services. With their near 250 years of experience in the tourism field, they are able to provide technology that can reach a fairly wide audience – which is also why they have access to such a wide array of information.

The tourism representation service breaks down in a variety of subcategories, including:

• Advertising and Branding: Planning strategies for social media, online and offline, with the addition of properly planned marketing virtualization.
• Tourism Consulting: Works with market intelligence and direct marketing towards the target market.
• Travel Assistance: Focuses on promoting locations and branding international events.
• Event Management: Works with trade exhibitions, along with coordination, travel fairs and roadshows.
• Public Relations and Media: Offers access to a variety of mediums from the media world (e.g. PR strategies, media familiarization, digital PR, etc.).

Simply put, with this service, you get access to a variety of tourism and travel networks, as well as in-depth knowledge of the market. It’s a great asset for those that are in the United States on a B1 visa in particular.  

CKGS Frequently Asked Questions

At this point, you are bound to have quite a few questions in regard to the CKGS – so here are the most common questions, answered for you.

How do I contact CKGS customer service?

Their contact information can easily be found on the CKGS website, with the submission days being from Monday to Friday – except for bank holidays. You may contact them by email, mobile, but also by physical address.

How do I find my CKGS Web reference number?

To obtain your CKGS web reference number, you will once more have to go to their website and scroll to the bottom of the page where you will see a box marked “Temporary ID/Web Reference Number” – which will allow you to continue the application from where you left it. You will receive that number in your email.

Can I go to CKGS without an appointment?

Yes, you may go to the CKGS without an appointment, and your documents will certainly be checked upon submitting them. However, since the lines go on a first-come, first-serve basis, you risk going through delays. Those who make an appointment will always be given priority, and it’s recommended if you don’t want to stay there the entire day – only to realize that they won’t even have the time to see you.

Final Thoughts

The services provided by the CKGS are a simple and efficient way for you to obtain your visa or passport. Granted, you won’t be spared all the documentation, but the workload will surely be reduced. It’s an efficient way to get things done correctly if you do not have the time to submit all documents everywhere yourself.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

See author's posts