Minister Blok: 'More services for Dutch people abroad'
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will expand and modernize the services for Dutch nationals abroad. This is stated in the policy memorandum 'State of the Consular' that Minister Blok of Foreign Affairs presented today.
With this memorandum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs looks ahead: what can Dutch travellers, expats and emigrants abroad expect from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? But the ministry also wants to send an important message to Dutch people worldwide with this note: take your own responsibility when you travel.
For the Netherlands and Dutch people worldwide
The policy memorandum is for the Netherlands and Dutch people worldwide. The minister handed over the memorandum on Friday to ombudswoman Jeanine Janssen of Omroep Max, director Leendert Jan Visser of MKB Nederland and director Carola Hoekstra of Thomas Cook. Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs: 'Good service to the Dutch worldwide is paramount. I will continue to work for that together with our partners. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is constantly keeping a finger on the pulse in order to improve and modernize services where necessary and possible.'
Mobile passport teams and more passport counters
For example, from next year the ministry will deploy mobile passport teams to accommodate Dutch citizens who, due to the attendance requirement, have to travel abroad for a long time to an embassy or consulate to apply for a passport. These mobile teams of employees travel with a fingerprint device from the ministry or embassies to locations worldwide to give Dutch people the opportunity to submit their passport application closer to home.
Following a successful trial in Edinburgh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also be collaborating in more countries with specialized service providers that can process passport applications from Dutch nationals. This will increase the number of 'passport desks' abroad. In the coming year, additional passport counters will open in the UK, Canada, Australia, the US and Spain.
Own responsibility when traveling
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes action thousands of times a year for Dutch nationals abroad, for example in the event of missing persons, arrests or deaths. 'Consular services affect people directly. Our employees are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer Dutch people personal help and advice. The Dutch can continue to count on this, also in the future,' said Minister Blok.
At the same time, the memorandum calls for realistic expectations. After all, the Netherlands does not call the shots in another country and there are restrictions on what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can do if a traveler comes into contact with the local authorities. 'You are responsible for your own behaviour, also abroad. If you do not respect the laws and regulations in another country, you can expect that this will have consequences for you,' says Minister Blok. 'If you knowingly travel into a dangerous area and get into trouble here, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot guarantee a solution. You can prevent a lot of misery yourself by preparing well for your trip and keeping your wits about you. The travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an important start, especially for distant and unknown destinations,' says Blok.
Visa: 300 million euros per year for the Netherlands
Foreign Affairs also provides visas worldwide for a short stay in the Netherlands. Approximately 700.000 visas are issued annually to tourists and business people. As people travel more and more globally, that number is growing by more than 10 percent each year. That is creditable for the Netherlands: it generates 300 million euros in direct income annually. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed to additional services for specific groups that are good for the Netherlands and Dutch prosperity, such as start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Numbers
Once a year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes figures on the scope of consular services. A selection of the latest figures (2017):
- BZ came into action more than 3000 times for serious cases (detainees, accidents, missing persons).
- The BZ 24/7 Contact Center received 700.000 telephone calls.
- Embassies and consulates issued 130.000 passports.
- The travel advisories were visited by 2,4 million unique visitors.
Source: National government
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It is a pity that Asia is not included in terms of expanding services, there is also no mobile counter, you will be in one of the surrounding countries of Thailand and have to go to Bangkok for the embassy, so that will take a lot of time and extra money for the other countries like Indonesia and the Philippines with their many islands, nothing is done either. THANK YOU foreign affairs.
Personal responsibility is at the beginning of the article. Then don't complain if you banish yourself to a remote place where you are far from an embassy, for example, you choose that yourself.
It also states that Foreign Affairs is there for Dutch citizens abroad and that they are there for you if necessary, they even come to you with mobile devices, but not in Asia, but in Spain, while the travel time from every city there direction embassy is max 2 1/2 hours you should try here in Asia and everyone decides where he/she settles abroad so not you or foreign affairs determine that.
Dear David, I believe you are not accurate. Years ago, the municipality of La Nucía (near Benidorm) in Spain offered a free location to the Netherlands for a consulate for the many thousands of Dutch people on the Costa Blanca. The Netherlands made good use of this until a few years ago. Then the consulate was closed by BZ due to budget cuts and since then the Dutch have to go to Madrid, about 500 km inland, for a new passport. Why a maximum of 2,5 hours travel time from each city?
In a nutshell, you're right.
Do you think that every Dutch person in Thailand, for example, should live close to the Embassy?
Cozy!
What it is about and what is meant, I think, is that the mobile passport teams not only come close to the capital of a country, but, for example, like Australia and the US, visit places where compatriots stay, more than so seen.
It's called "outreach."
But, I think the new line is, so to speak, a positive sound after years of downsizing.
Waiting to see what will become of it, I take promises from the current and previous governments with a grain of salt.
I have struggled through the 18-page policy memorandum and I think that it leaves nothing to be desired in terms of clarity. An excellent piece of work, which can be used in appropriate cases.
First, start working together a bit more, especially between the EU member states, including the Schengen visa.
In government I usually get the impression that I have to be at the service of the authorities. While that government was created by the citizens, and is financed by the same citizens, TO SERVE US and nothing less.
Walk into an embassy! That embassy is all yours, the citizen's! The whole building with everything that is there, it is there thanks to us, it belongs to us, to the citizenry. Every month WE citizens pay the salaries of all the officials who work there. In English these people are therefore very aptly called 'civil servants', after all they are nothing more than servants of the people.
But do they act accordingly?
It is not for nothing that the population revolts, in yellow vests: in France, in Belgium and also in our country. More and more citizens demand that they be listened to, that their government stands up for them, does what they want, serves their interests. Because who pays, decides.
The government feels the storm is coming and comes with nice notes, but is our government really there for the Dutch citizens?
Now again there is a high-profile affair involving a 17-year-old Dutch boy who has been in prison in Spain for three months, still in pre-trial detention, because he, on holiday with his parents, had been fiddling with two English boys by the swimming pool. girls. That pre-trial detention could take months. The father was interviewed on Radio 1, our embassy in Madrid does nothing! Just like in the Julio Poch affair, who was extradited by the Netherlands via Spain (!) to Argentina, where he was innocently held in custody for eight years… Not to mention the Van Laarhoven affair in Thailand.
Foreign Affairs, don't get me started: it's high time for a very big broom action!
Completely agree! That will not happen to an American, for example! At least they stand for the well-being of their citizens abroad.
The examples are somewhat related to criminal law cases and then there is little to be done.
If you give your child a good old-fashioned parenting blow in your own home, don't you also consider that a private matter that I shouldn't interfere with?
With the response you are doing short of what is being done every day to make things easier for people in foreign countries.
Dear Joe Argus,
Your writing is a very good representation of the situation and it will not change as long as the current government is in charge.
It's all sloganeering, with empty promises, where nothing comes of it.
The Netherlands is a vassal of the EU, which is slowly becoming an ex GDR state, things are starting to rumble throughout Europe, people underestimate the strength of the population.
The Netherlands should take a look at America when it comes to their nationals. Our politicians are talking about America! One thing America does well: not to extradite its citizens and bring them back from abroad! The Dutch foreign affairs officials, including ministers, prefer to let them go. Unless you have a boyfriend somewhere. Unfortunately, I have the experience that I invited a friend from Thailand……guarantee, insurance, return ticket…….baptism certificate at the municipality…….everything correct oh yes paid……result : visa refused ! Unclear destination! Given : destination holiday ! That was unclear to IND! I was then able to explain to the civil servant in BKK what vacation means. No confidence in that club for me! And furthermore for no minister for this government ... he is there for his own gain. This cry from our Stef is to win the votes of Dutch people abroad in March. What a transparent trick! Keep an eye on them, they'll do it to you too.
What a grumble, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that there will be mobile consular teams that travel around the world to make it possible for Dutch nationals abroad to
can apply for their travel document closer to home. In Thailand, the embassy has also traveled several times to places with many Dutch nationals to arrange matters such as passport renewal? Does Ministry of Foreign Affairs intend to do this more often and then it is still not good?
I also do not understand the reactions about America, why should the Netherlands interfere if a national in Spain, for example, is suspected of assault? Or do the people who would like to see this happen also accept interference from a foreign country if someone is arrested as a suspect for a crime in the Netherlands?
BuZa writes about this:
No interference with the internal legal order of other countries:
• The Dutch government does not interfere with the internal legal order of other countries.
• The Netherlands therefore respects the national laws and regulations of other countries
(the wise of the country, the honor of the country), but is ready for advice and assistance.
• Conversely, the Netherlands will not allow foreign consular interference in the Dutch legal order
accept, without prejudice to international obligations and rights.
Travel documents: well, you do that once every ten years.
I would like the government to help the Dutch (and also some Thais who have lived or studied in the Netherlands) to familiarize themselves with that other country and to make standard certified, downloadable translations of statements that are used with a much greater regularity. need.
And one would also expect a little more flexibility from a government that should know that no expat is the same.
With regard to Schengen, it comes down to sending the applicant even more to the External Service Provider (VFS Global), which is still optional, but for how long? And will the extra costs for using the EDV continue to be passed on to the applicant? The RSO treatment center in Kuala Lumpur is closing, so passport, supporting documents and pasting of the visa will no longer be done in Malaysia. The visa assessments in 2019 will be done from The Hague. Fortunately, no passports and papers go from Bangkok to The Hague, this goes digital and the embassy in Bangkok will stick the visa sticker in the passport again just like before (after approval from The Hague on an application). Less chance of things getting lost, faster handling when everything is no longer physically going back and forth by plane. Digitization is the credo.
Unfortunately, nothing about setting up a joint Schengen/embassy counter so that people can go to one place for all member states without service to make an application. But they are on their way to reducing lead times (now mostly 1 week) and moving parts from A to B to C to B to A.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes about the Schengen visa:
—–
– The number of Schengen visa applications for the Netherlands increased by 2011% between 2017 and 45. Visitors who want to come to the Netherlands for a short stay bring a lot to the Netherlands (…) The aim is to make the threshold for these travelers as low as possible.
– The research indicates that visitors with a business travel purpose yield more benefits than visitors with a different travel purpose (…)
– Another important measure that is being used to facilitate Dutch interests is the use of commercial visa application offices (external service providers). With this, the national government brings the services closer to the customer and makes it easier to apply for a visa for the Netherlands. An online application form has also been developed with which customers can apply for their visa digitally in the future. Due to the need to issue biometrics, a walk past the visa application office (EDV) for the issue of biometrics will unfortunately remain necessary.
– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has started centralizing the decision-making process to The Hague. Up to and including 2020, regional back offices will be gradually transferred to the Consular Service Organization (CSO) in The Hague. The CSO is a central back office where decisions on visa applications are made (…)
– The granting of visas serves the economic interests of the Netherlands. At the same time, issuing a visa requires an assessment of any threats to public order, security and establishment. Due to the strongly increased number of visa applications from
To provide a good answer, the Netherlands has introduced a new working method: Information Supported Decision Making. Information Supported Decision Making uses data analysis to identify opportunities, risks, trends and patterns. This makes it possible to focus attention on those applications where there are potential risks. The Netherlands can thus facilitate the vast majority of visa applications more quickly.
(...)
– Where applicants still have to appear in person, the Netherlands cooperates with private service providers who serve as counters, which means that there are application possibilities at locations where there is no Dutch representation. The Netherlands is also working on an online application form, in which the customer can fill in the personal details online in the future and upload the required documents. Based on information from chain partners
and data analysis, it is determined whether an application can be processed extra quickly, or whether there is reason for an interview or an extra document check, for example.
—–
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also received feedback from citizens (what they do with it is verse two). BuZa writes about this:
—–
In mid-2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore conducted a public consultation to improve consular services and further develop consular policy. This was done through the appropriate channels of public
consultation by the national government: http://www.internetconsultatie.nl. The consultation was open to anyone with knowledge and ideas about consular services. (…)
The consultation has made it clear that the majority of respondents do not have a complete picture of what consular services as a whole entail and under what conditions and in what context they take place. The information is based on one's own experience and on the part on which one sees
has had and draws less from general sources. (..)
By far the most responses were received on the subject of travel and identity documents. (..) Other suggestions that have been made are to communicate more clearly about which documents are needed
to apply for a travel document (fifteen respondents) and make it possible to
no longer have to submit ments previously submitted in a follow-up application (two respondents).
Visas
A large proportion of the respondents indicated that digitization of the visa process is an important point of attention, in order to simplify and speed up the process. Accelerated and simplified visa procedures for bona fide applicants, such as business travelers or partners of Dutch nationals, are also mentioned as possible points for improvement in the
visa policy. Respondents suggested seeking more cooperation with other Schengen partners for visa applications, which would allow applications at different embassies for the Schengen area. Some respondents asked for more application locations for the visa applications.
Third-party service providers also featured frequently in respondents' responses. According to the respondents, the quality and knowledge of the staff of external service providers can be improved. Some respondents suggested returning to visa applications only at the missions instead of external service providers.
Other points of attention mentioned by respondents were clear information
procurement of the necessary documents for an application, performing proper checks on risk groups,
train front office and customer service personnel on friendliness and knowledge, a visa to the
make the border possible and make it possible for the Dutch police or the tax authorities to
carry out initial checks on visa applicants.
General
About a hundred respondents gave general suggestions for improving the consular
services. In most cases, these respondents had already entered these suggestions
response to specific consular products and services. To be mentioned are:
• more digitization
• more communication options
• better information provision
• more consular locations, for applications such as DigiD, driver's license, consular statements
• longer opening hours
• mobile consulates
• European cooperation.
—–
I would say: keep bombarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with feedback, write a neat letter in which you specifically mention pain points and desired improvements. Forward it to the embassy or BuZa in The Hague. Participate in the annual consultation round. You don't know whether they want or can do something with it, but then your pain point can at least get attention. That is already more efficient than just sharing your frustrations on this blog. Although I would like to think that, for example, talking about Schengen services, etc. on this blog will make others think again to take up the pen. That is more useful to us than grumbling at the regular table.
Once again: the government is there thanks to us citizens. So we are not there thanks to the government. That's the crux. The time when the government preached, from the pulpit and through obliging media, that we had to be submissive to the 'authority placed above us' is surely behind us.
Unfortunately, the government has to be reminded time and again that its only 'raison d'etre' is to do everything possible to please the bourgeoisie. We pay the government a lot for that, through taxes, so we don't have to say thank you for that!
There is rightly great dissatisfaction among citizens about their government and the government would be crazy not to pay attention to this. Then you get French conditions.
Some respondents point out that I mentioned a few cases in which Dutch nationals abroad got into trouble, precisely because of their government. While that government had been paid by them for years, after all, they paid taxes. The State Department deceived these citizens. Instead of helping them, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has extradited them to countries with malicious intent, which, to quote former minister Ben Bot, is scandalous.
The Dutch government should not interfere with the legal process in other countries, according to some experts. Our government is certainly allowed to do that when international treaties are violated or when humanity is at stake. It is a violation of human rights to keep citizens in pre-trial detention for months, even years, without presenting a substantiated charge. That is the issue here and then Foreign Affairs (again: an agency that belongs to us and not vice versa) has the task and therefore also the duty to stand up for the affected citizens.
The government is there because of the voters and it is apparently their wish to do it that way.
Then it is parliament that gives the mandate to carry out things and if they also approve, then it is done.
To return to the note… how much tax do you think it is worth to help Dutch people abroad and tourists from abroad through the embassies and consulates?
Johnny right! Will the entire fourth power be replaced after elections? Just like in the US: new ambassadors everywhere? New mayors, new police force leadership? Throw off that leash, Johnny! Or rather HMV?
It will be just me, but I really don't understand what is written above and what it has to do with the policy memorandum.
The simple question that was asked is how much tax money is left to run the embassies and consulates so that everyone can receive the very best support in all corners of the world.
Ask the average Dutch person and many non-world travelers will not see it as a priority that too much is being invested, just as a non-football fan finds it unnecessary to deploy entire police forces in high-risk matches.