Schengen visa: NL Embassy in Bangkok gives incorrect information about visa application
Dear editors,
Contrary to the reporting in the Thailand blog article of July 15, which reports that it is possible to apply for a Schengen visa directly at the Dutch embassy, this appears to be incorrect in practice after telephone contact, according to the embassy employee. I am referred to: Netherlands Visa Application Center Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 13 in Bangkok.
Was the information in the article mentioned above (July 15) incorrect…, or am I not getting the correct information from the embassy employee?
Your reaction please,
Leo
Dear Leo,
You are referring to the following part: www.thailandblog.nl/visum-short-stay/application-schengenvisum-direct-embassy-bangkok/
The content of that piece on Thailandblog is first of all simply the regulations according to the Schengen Visa Code (Regulation EC 810/2009) and therefore hard European regulations. But that document also emphasizes that Mr. Berkhout of the Dutch embassy, after consultation with the department in The Hague, confirms this. This after I had pointed out that, contrary to the rules, people did not report 'direct access' (by appointment) to the embassy for some time. The employee you got on the line has therefore provided incorrect information. I can only speculate about the reasons for this, but it would be desirable if you raised this with the Dutch personnel. For example, by sending an email to [email protected] . Then the embassy can remind its staff of the rules!
The embassy's website therefore states the following on its webpage about the Schengen visa, at the very bottom:
“Pursuant to Article 17.5 of the Community Visa Code, the applicant may submit his visa application directly to the Embassy. In this case, an appointment must be requested by e-mail [email protected]. In accordance with Article 9.2, the waiting time for the appointment is generally a maximum of two weeks, starting from the date on which the appointment was requested. With the visa processing time of 15 calendar days, it is advised to make an appointment at least 4 weeks prior to the planned departure date.”
If that text is not clear enough, then Article 17, paragraph 5 of the Visa Code (Regulation EC 810/2009) speaks for itself:
Article
Service charges
1. Additional service charges may be levied by an external service provider as referred to in Article 43. The service costs shall be proportionate to the costs incurred by the external service provider for the performance of one or more of the tasks referred to in Article 43(6).
2. Those service charges shall be specified in the legal instrument referred to in Article 43(2).
3. In the context of local Schengen cooperation, Member States shall ensure that the service charges charged to an applicant duly reflect the services provided by the external service provider and are adapted to local circumstances. They also aim to harmonize service costs.
4. The service fee shall not exceed half of the visa fee referred to in Article 16(1), irrespective of the possible waivers or exemptions from the visa fee referred to in Article 16(4), (5) and (6).
5. The Member States concerned shall retain the possibility for all applicants to apply directly to their consulates.”
This is further emphasized by EU Home Affairs (Internal Affairs of the EU) in the “Handbook for the organization of visa sections and local Schengen cooperation” which once again:
“4.3. The service fee
Legal basis: Visa Code, Article 17
As a fundamental principle, a service fee may be charged to an applicant using the facilities of
an external service provider only if the alternative is maintained of direct access to the
consulate incurring the payment of just the visa fee (see point 4.4).
This principle applies to all applicants, whatever the tasks being performed by the external
service provider, including those applicants benefiting from a visa fee waiver, such as family
members of EU and Swiss citizens or categories of persons benefiting from a reduced fee.
(...)
4.4. Instant access
Maintaining the possibility for visa applicants to lodge their applications directly at the
consulate instead of via an external service provider implies that there should be a genuine
choice between these two possibilities.”
In short, there can be no doubt that you have the choice to go to the Visa Application Center (VAC) of external service provider VFS Global. And if you do not want to use this optional service, you can submit the application directly to the embassy. The embassy naturally prefers people to go to the VAC because the cutbacks have reduced the number of staff at the embassy in recent years. By enticing people to turn to VFS, the embassy saves time and costs. VFS naturally passes these costs on to their customers.
In the draft Visa Code, which has been under consideration for more than 2 years, the right to direct entry will disappear. In the long term you will not be able to get around VFS, but for the time being that choice is still there. If the new Visa Code is adopted, I will of course report it on this blog.
If you - like me - prefer to visit the embassy (and thus also save the service fee of about 1000 baht) then you can simply make an appointment by e-mail.
Regards,
Rob
Sources:
– http://thailand.nlambassade.org/nieuws/2015/09/ambassade-besteed-het-visumproces-uit.html
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/NL/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32009R0810
- http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy/index_en.htm
- https://www.thailandblog.nl/achtergrond/nieuwe-schengen-regels-mogelijk-niet-zo-flexibel-als-eerder-aangekondigd/
As Rob says, it's best to handle this kind of thing by email. Then you have a name of the employee and there can never be a discussion about conceptual confusion.
Read the text at the very bottom. There it is in black and white:
http://thailand.nlambassade.org/nieuws/2015/09/ambassade-besteed-het-visumproces-uit.html
Indeed Phun Peter. Mailing reduces the chance of confusion, misunderstanding each other or remembering something wrong (after all, you can read it again), and you know who you have been in contact with. If you do call the embassy, IND or a shop around the corner, it is wise to write down the name of the employee. Or record conversations so you can listen back and make notes in your own time of important things that came up.
I received a follow-up email from Leo, in which he wrote the following:
"Dear Rob,
Thanks for your quick response…!!!
Because some things didn't sit well with me, I contacted the NL for a second time. embassy in Bangkok.
“This time I spoke to another employee (Mr. Kamerling)
I referred again to the article in Thailandblog, after some hesitation, it now appears possible to apply for a visa directly at the embassy in BKK. to submit.
He would confirm things by email, I will let you know when the confirmation is in.
To my question why make an appointment with his colleague? was not possible, he replied that the conversation may have gone through a call center….!!
Again thanks a lot,
leo”
So I think everything will turn out fine with Leo's appointment and given the generally professional and correct way of acting at the embassy, this misunderstanding/mistake will probably be cleared up.
Sent an email to the embassy in Bkk for an appointment in the embassy building. A week later I received a call back that I could make an appointment with the service desk. When I insisted not to use it, I was transferred to an employee of the embassy who was very difficult, and told me that the office was the appropriate way, I told him that he was obliged to help me in this way. to help with a visa, was his answer, I am not obliged to provide you with a visa, etc. etc. I said okay, you are not obliged to, but you are obliged to process my application. You understand the atmosphere in which this conversation continued. I was told that there was a long waiting list at the embassy for an appointment and it would be better if I went to the service desk. Disappointed, I hung up and postponed my trip for a year
The embassy is obliged to help you with an appointment within 14 days. So the long waiting list is a lame excuse. I would send the email to [email protected]. This is also described on the website of the embassy.
Now it's none of my business. But, why don't you still go to the service bureau? The processing time for a visa remains the same. You only pay 1000 THB service costs. At 1000 THB I wouldn't pass up such a trip.
I'm curious. Yesterday I made an application for my girlfriend, via email, for an appointment to hand in the visa papers at the embassy. Also indicated that I did not wish to use the services of VFS Global.
Now 24 hours later still no answer so we are still waiting. I do understand that they use an external agency to hand in the papers, but make sure that reasonable amounts are charged. 1000 THB for a drop-off point actually makes no sense. Although the embassy will of course have no further influence on this.
As you yourself indicate, the embassy will have to facilitate an appointment within 2 weeks. Every day that the embassy takes longer to respond with an offer (date and time) when you are welcome brings them closer to that deadline. So they make it harder for themselves. Ban-ca usually responds to emails within 24 hours, I have never heard anything later than 48 hours.
The Visa Code states that, as a rule, an appointment must be made within 2 weeks (whether at the embassy or a VAC). 'As a rule', of course, means that if it can be foreseen, so in the high season one will have to scale up to deploy sufficient staff to handle all requests. Unforeseen are of course extreme situations, such as an emergency (fire, war, flood), but that is of course no more than logical.
The embassy remains responsible for the results of the external service provider. The external service provider services costs should never, ever exceed half of the standard visa fee. These fees are 60 euros, so a maximum of 30 euros can be charged. The embassy must regularly and in consultation with the other member states determine the exchange rate used so that the converted amounts in local currency do not deviate too much from the current exchange rate. Since the embassy discusses which services the service provider may provide, I assume they will also discuss the additional service costs.
The amount of 1000 baht is manageable, although in Thailand you can enjoy a Korean BBQ with 2-3 people. It is strange that VFS uses different empty amounts for other embassies. This was already the case when VFS only managed an appointment calendar for both the Netherlands and Belgium (and some other embassies), where the amounts also varied from 275 (B) to 480 (NL) baht. These differences may be due to things (read: tasks/costs) behind the scenes or simply the hustle and bustle (although you would expect lower costs at more popular embassies because you can spread costs over more customers).
Personally, I'm just not interested in an external party, those baht fees are not that exciting, and I also think it is wrong on principle to pass on extra costs to the customer while a consulate has 'chosen' to sort things out. spend. Chosen between quotes because if a cabinet simply makes less money available, an embassy will also have to make do with what it has and be forced to make less pleasant choices.
Just received a message from the embassy. We got an appointment on the desired date, at the desired time. No problems and received a friendly email back.
Moderator: Thailandblog is not a wailing wall.