As reported by «Delo», the embassies of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands have signed a cooperation agreement with the international company VFS Global. Starting March 1, this firm will handle visa application processing. Now anyone wishing to obtain a visa can choose a convenient application method: either directly at the embassy or through VFS. The second method is inherently more efficient - the processing time for applications submitted through VFS is significantly shorter. But this option will cost the applicant more: they will have to pay for intermediary services. VFS takes responsibility for assembling the applicant's complete document package and submitting it to the embassy. For example, for those wishing to travel to the Netherlands, such services will cost 170 UAH, with a separate consular fee of €35.
At the German embassy in Ukraine, VFS will only be responsible for scheduling interview dates. The cost of this service is 35 UAH. It can only be paid at a branch of Prominvestbank. After payment, the bank issues the applicant a personal code that allows them to obtain the desired interview date, according to the embassy's website. It should be noted that the decision on issuing a visa will be made solely by the consular officer of the embassy.
As reported by the website Rynok.biz, VFS was founded in 2001 and is part of the Kuoni Travel Group. The company services diplomatic missions in 18 countries worldwide, handling administrative work for visa applications.
According to Denis Kuznetsov, partner at the law firm «TEKT-Real», embassies of each country have every right to establish the visa issuance procedure they deem necessary. The actual legitimization of a 'helper' in obtaining visas will only benefit tourists. 'It's no secret that many agencies offer paid assistance to expedite visa processing. If the embassies themselves initiate such simplification methods, they will be more reliable,' Kuznetsov concludes.
Travel agencies also note that having an official intermediary will be beneficial. 'Tourists often seek help from agents who loiter near embassies. They speed up the visa process, sometimes even using fake documents confirming a tour from a foreign party. The cost of such a service for Schengen countries starts from €1,500,' explains Lyudmila, co-owner of a travel agency in Dnepropetrovsk. According to her, such 'helpers' often deceive their clients.
Currently, the range of services from underground intermediaries is quite wide. They help skip the queue at the German consulate for €12. For another €5, the applicant will be helped to fill out documents correctly. Near the Lithuanian embassy, the same service will cost you $10. And at the French embassy, for a 'symbolic' sum of €30-100, you will be moved from the end of the queue to the very front.
Representatives of intermediary companies are not inclined to overestimate the appearance of an official competitor. They do not hide that their main income comes from preparing fake documents. 'You bring documents, we provide everything necessary from the foreign side, make an invitation. Our partners call from Germany to the consulate and advocate for the person submitting the visa application,' explained a representative from one of the Kyiv firms over the phone. The representative also said that to obtain a visa to Germany, an applicant 'only needs to have €1,600 on hand.'