Anonymous interview: visa center employee

Standard processing times for European visas

Almost all experts recommend starting to apply for a visa at least three months before your trip.
But it is impossible to say specifically how long a visa is processed. It all depends on which country you want to visit, or rather, which country you applied for a visa to. If we talk about practice, then usually the fastest in issuing visas are the embassies of Spain, Poland and Greece. The second aspect is the period when the document will be issued. This means that, for example, in high season the visa processing period is about two weeks. And out of season or in low season, the period for issuing a visa can be reduced to four days. We can say that on average the visa processing time ranges from 6 to 10 days .

If you yourself do not want to deal with obtaining a visa, then these powers can be transferred to a travel agency. If you do this, the processing time may be reduced. The processing time increases if you submit documents yourself, that is, you need to make an appointment at the consulate in advance. That is, in general, the number of days for obtaining a visa increases. Why wait if agencies can do everything for you? All that remains is to pay. What other factors can directly influence the visa processing time?

1. Seasonality. But we have already talked about this.
2. When submitting documents, be sure to take into account the presence of weekends and holidays. But there is a nuance here. Holidays and some weekends may be completely different from those in our country. Therefore, the visa processing time may be delayed.
3. Presence of other factors. Sometimes it happens that consulate staff have questions that need to be resolved. You may need to provide additional documents. As a result, the processing time may be delayed by several weeks. In exceptional cases, the issuance of a visa may be delayed up to 60 days.

But there are cases when a visa is issued in one day, but it is better not to get into such situations. Serious illness, death of relatives, urgent treatment - in such cases a visa will be issued extremely quickly. But at the same time, the cost of services will double. To obtain such a visa, you must attach to the package of documents an application or justification for why you need to obtain a visa so quickly.

Photo: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/visa-approved-journey-template-3653492/

How to “check” the authenticity of a visa to India and why do you need a power of attorney for a child?

Why a travel agent shouldn’t sell transportation and accommodation through two different legal entities, why you need a power of attorney for a child when traveling around Russia, and how to distinguish a fake visa to India from a real one - we’ll tell you in our review.

Can an agent put together a tour without an operator?

Why is it dangerous for a travel agency to sell transportation and accommodation through two different legal entities, who can punish an agent for such activities, and what should a travel professional do if he nevertheless decides to engage in “alternative” activities - lawyer Alexander Bayborodin shared his view on the problem with Profi.Travel.

Do you need a power of attorney for a child when traveling in Russia?

The issue is debatable: in Russian legislation the corresponding norm is not enshrined and, accordingly, when traveling within the country, the execution of a power of attorney is only advisory in nature. However, Profi.Travel learned from a lawyer how the lack of a power of attorney can not only ruin an adult’s vacation, but also endanger the life of a minor.

Visa issue

✎ India will simplify the possibility of obtaining electronic visas from April 1 and double their validity period. ✎ Spain disrupted early bookings in Russia: the country changed its visa operator and was unable to open visa centers in the regions in a timely manner. ✎ Russia and South Africa will mutually cancel visas from March 30. ✎ Egypt has not yet made a final decision on increasing tariffs for tourist visas.

Fraudsters have started issuing fake visas to India.

The Federal Tourism Agency warned Russians planning a trip to India about the emergence of fraudulent sites on the Internet that issue fake visa documents that are practically no different in appearance from real ones. The Federal Tourism Agency strongly recommends that travel companies and independent tourists check the accuracy of their visas in advance on the official Indian government website.

News from around the world

➤ The State Duma of the Russian Federation did not support the law allowing tourists to demand full compensation from the maintenance or insurer in the event of force majeure. ➤ The Thai authorities have approved a single price for entrance tickets to the country's marine national parks for foreign tourists - 400 baht ($11). ➤ Round suitcases and bags with soft bottoms are no longer accepted at Dubai Airport. In the name of safety! ➤ A new hotel chain of 426 hotels will be created in Russia. ➤ The famous Azure Window rock collapsed in Malta. ➤ Due to an avalanche and the death of skiers in Kabardino-Balkaria, tourist sites in the Elbrus region will be checked for safety. ➤ In Sri Lanka, police officers detained 9 Russians without explanation. And then they released me. ➤ The Vietnamese authorities plan to introduce a tourist tax from January 1, 2021. ➤ In Moscow, a funicular from Vorobyovy Gory to Luzhniki will be launched in 2018.

The tourism industry loses to the “pirates” with a score of 0:1

Illegal travel agencies, of course, have always existed, but during the crisis period there were more “pirates” and their activities had a very painful impact on the work of regional tour operators and agents. Vologda activists and business representatives entered into a dialogue with the state in order to cleanse the market of shadow players. But do the authorities need this? So far, tour operators and agents have the impression that they themselves must come up with a mechanism to combat illegal immigrants and do the work of supervisory authorities.

Let's go on vacation!

From Greece to Norway, from the UAE to North Korea, from Kaliningrad to Crimea - 140 advertising tours for April in our review. We are studying what promotional tours departing from Russia and Ukraine are offered by tour operators in the coming month.

Aviation news of the week

♦ “Victory” doesn’t get bored! The airline decided to train employees in martial arts so as not to hire professional security guards, and also sew up the pockets in passenger seats in order to save on cleaning costs. ♦ Natalie Tours vs. Transaero: the tour operator filed a cassation appeal against the decision to recover $5.8 million in favor of the airline. ♦ The strike in Helsinki will lead to the cancellation and delay of more than 100 flights. ♦ Russia and Kazakhstan agreed on flights from Zhukovsky. ♦ NordStar Airlines canceled several flights to Bulgaria, China, Armenia and Azerbaijan. ♦ UTair opens flights from Moscow to Munich, Berlin and Vienna. ♦ Rossiya launches flights from St. Petersburg to the Czech city of Pardubice.

Egypt? Readiness 90%

The resumption of air traffic with Egypt will occur in the near future, said Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko during her visit to Cairo. According to her, the joint plan to ensure security at Egyptian airports has been completed by more than 90 percent, and the specific timing of the start of flights depends on the Egyptian side’s implementation of the last four comments on aviation security measures. The head of the Federation Council also added that Russia is waiting for the Egyptian side to sign the protocol on aviation security.

How to check visa readiness?

You have submitted the documents, now all you have to do is wait. But how can you check the readiness of your visa yourself? Not all consulates and visa centers provide a visa status tracking service. That is why it is recommended that after submitting the documents, you check with specialists whether you can track the readiness of the visa or not. If you can still check the status , then how?

1. Consulates or visa centers have websites where you can track your status.
2. They may provide a contact phone number that the applicant can call and inquire about their visa.
3. There are independent web resources that help you find the information you need. One such resource is VFS Global.

There are often cases when a visa is issued earlier than the allotted period, but delays can also occur. In this regard, it is convenient to independently monitor the visa readiness status.

Visa to Greece

Checking the readiness of a visa is a rather important point, especially for those who do not have the time to travel to the consulate or visa center to find out the status of your visa. How to check readiness online?

It's quite simple. First of all, you need to know that from the moment you submit your documents, the waiting time for a visa is 15 working days. This deadline is set by the Greek Embassy. That is, roughly speaking, during this time a visa will be issued for you if no questions or nuances arise. Sometimes it even happens that a visa can be obtained within 6 days.

Photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/oia-santorini-village-greece-416136/

Many visa centers have introduced a system for tracking the readiness of their documents. For example, you can check the readiness of a visa to Greece using:

• VFS Global Greece;
• VAC Greece Center;
• Consulate General of Greece in St. Petersburg;
• Consulate General of Greece in Moscow;
• Consulate General of Greece in Novosibirsk;
• with the help of official intermediaries of the Greek Consulate - travel agencies.

Most often, applicants use the first system, VFS Global Greece. You need to find the “Application Tracking” function on the website. Click on it with the mouse. A new window will open. There the candidate will see several phone numbers that he can contact.

You can also see a link at the top of this information. After clicking on it, you will then need to enter your date of birth and your application number (when you submitted the documents). Next, click “accept” and the system will load all the necessary information. You will see whether your documents are ready or not yet.

Visa to Germany

If you submitted documents to a visa center, then you can track the readiness of your visa to Germany through it. VFS Global is an organization that has an accreditation stamp for the ability to verify the readiness of documents. Germany gave this organization this right.

All other organizations can only work directly with diplomatic missions or through intermediaries, but in the end the intermediary will come to the VFS Global organization. You can track the readiness of your visa yourself.

1. On the main page you need to select the German diplomatic mission in Russia.
2. From a large list, you must choose the dealership that suits you.
3. Further on the page you will see “after applying”.
4. Next you need to enter your registration number, last name and confirm by clicking the mouse button.
5. Information about visa readiness will be displayed on the screen.

If you are uncomfortable using this site, you can always call and find out the information you are interested in.

Photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/koblenz-german-corner-sachsen-3453860/

Polish visa

The method of verification will depend on how you submitted your visa documents. There are three options for checking readiness:

1. You need to contact the Polish diplomatic mission.
2. The visa center will come to your aid.
3. And the last option: use the services of an agency.

You can check the readiness of a visa to Poland using any of the above options. If you submitted documents through a diplomatic mission, then when submitting documents you can find out the phone number and call them back after a while. A specialist should answer your questions.

If you used a visa center, then usually the sites also provide this opportunity: to track the readiness of documents. The visa center representative should give you a link, following which you can find out everything.

Single document center - some regions have such organizations. And if there is one, then you need to find out the organization’s website and on this website you can track the readiness of the visa.

Visa to Finland

As in all previous cases, you can check the readiness of your Finnish visa using the official VFS Global website. The verification process will not be difficult, the main thing is to know your registration number. And then you need to follow what is written on the site. By following all the steps step by step, you will learn about your visa status.

You can also use other verification options:

1. You can call the Consulate General in St. Petersburg.
2. You can also contact the visa center through which you submitted your documents. For example, you submitted documents in St. Petersburg, which means you need to find out about readiness in this center. If documents were submitted in the center of another city, then you need to apply there.

Photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/finland-helsinki-sunshine-building-2548616/

Through the Internet

At first glance, the easiest way to find out if a visa is ready is a simple telephone call to the consular section of the embassy or visa center. However, not all diplomatic institutions of the Schengen countries provide such an opportunity. In addition, in some cases, a citizen simply cannot make a phone call because he has lost or did not write down the contact number.

The visa center website will help you find out the status of your application. Having visited it, a citizen can track his Schengen visa using his passport number. The same function is provided by the official websites of the embassies of many EU countries.

In some cases, in order to track a visa, you can use not the passport number, but entering the applicant’s last name and first name (in Latin letters). You can find out which verification method you can use by first visiting the website of the embassy or visa center.

Methods for checking a Schengen visa

So, what options can you use to check your visa readiness? Perhaps the most popular and easiest option is to use the VFS Global system. Many countries have given permission to this system to access visa readiness information. The most important thing in this case is to have a registration number, which is issued when submitting documents.

You can also use the services of the consulate, but it is best to call there. It is also better to find out the phone number when submitting documents.

Perhaps the easiest option is to use the services of a travel agency. Here the specialists will do everything for you. It is clear that the agency will have to pay for the services.

Check and track status online

In order to have the right to legally enter the territory of a particular state, a special permit is required - a visa.

To obtain it, you need to spend considerable time collecting, translating, visaing and submitting documents during a visit to the embassy or consulate.

Then all that remains is to wait for the submitted papers to be reviewed in order to appear at the consulate at the appointed time to obtain the desired permit.

However, finding out whether a visa is ready can be extremely difficult. After all, the process of checking readiness may vary for different states, and in a number of situations, it is difficult to give any specific time frame.

What determines the review period?

Before exploring ways to determine the readiness of a document, it should be taken into account that the process of reviewing documents submitted by the applicant can continue indefinitely. The duration of the review depends on a number of factors that can either speed up the preparation of the required document or significantly slow it down. It is advisable to include among them:

• The number of applications requiring appropriate consideration and execution at the moment.
• Travel date.
• The thoroughness of checks regarding the applicant by the embassy of a particular state.

Perhaps the most inappropriate time for completing documents is the summer and winter holidays and other long holidays. After all, at this time there is the most intense flow of people wishing to obtain a certificate for a vacation trip.

In addition, different countries have different approaches to the verification and processing of documents for persons wishing to enter their territory.
As a result, some countries allow entry clearance in 2-3 days, while others may require a much longer period. REFERENCE! EU countries, such as Poland, the Czech Republic or Germany, do not limit the processing time in any way. Finnish migration policy provides for the possibility of expediting visas for short stays. Germany typically reviews documents within one to two weeks.

How to check?

If you want to check the readiness of your visa, the most preferable way to find out is to visit the embassy or consulate that is responsible for issuing such permits. Such a visit will require some effort and time, but will allow you to reliably find out about the readiness of the visa.

The disadvantages of this method include its irrationality, because if the document is not yet ready, the applicant has wasted time and effort. In addition, today there is no need for a personal visit to the embassy, ​​since all questions of interest, including the readiness of a visa, can be resolved remotely.

The most common visa tracking option is by telephone. In order to find out about readiness, you will need to provide the data that was provided for the visa application. After a short wait, the operator will be able to give an approximate processing time or notify you that the visa is ready.

The capabilities of the Internet are difficult to overestimate, as it allows you to access the necessary information in a matter of seconds. Using specialized portals, you can easily check whether a visa is ready, which will save time and effort.

Today, this is the fastest and easiest way to find out about the readiness of a visa, because it does not require any effort from the applicant.

It is extremely important to prepare a specific list of information about the applicant, which will later be used to search his application in the database. It includes the applicant’s full name, as well as a special identification code that he received when submitting documents. A number of consulates use payment receipt numbers as a similar code, while others use international passport numbers.

If a third-party organization that organizes the trip or provides assistance in obtaining a visa is responsible for issuing the document, you will need to clarify this data with its representatives.

The algorithm for checking visa readiness on the website is as follows:

• Log in using your personal details.
• Specify the identifier in the search field (in the unified or consular database).
• Click the “Search” button.

If you have any problems with the search, you can consult with embassy staff using the telephone number indicated on a special form. It is issued in cases where the consulate accepts documents for consideration.

Another convenient way to track: SMS notification

The Spain Visa Application Center also offers another type of control over the progress of visa processing - SMS notification. Its meaning is that messages will be sent to your mobile phone number reflecting the status of the application.

The most important thing is that you will immediately receive a notification about when you can pick up your passport returned from the consulate.

Be prepared for the fact that the processing time for your application can take up to 10 days. The decision may be made earlier, which you will learn about thanks to the online application tracking service described above.

Visa verification after passport issuance

In each case, after submitting documents for consideration, the applicant receives a receipt that his application has been accepted. Among other things, this document contains a unique application identifier - be sure to save it, because It is only possible to check your visa status using this code.

The second required parameter for verification is the applicant’s date of birth. There is probably little chance of forgetting it; in extreme cases, you can always see the date in official documents.

Embassies generally do not provide separate interfaces for checking Polish visa status. However, the information is in a common database, to which the visa center has access.

Accordingly, even when submitting through the embassy, ​​you can track your passport with a visa using one of the above methods, which are equally relevant for both PPVA and for submission through the embassy/consulate.

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The finished pass to another country is pasted into the international passport or affixed there as a stamp. But even after this, the visa may be cancelled. Embassy staff carefully check all information received even after the permit is issued.

How do I know if my visa is ready? The most common and convenient way to check readiness is to go to the visa center website. To do this, open the center’s website and follow the link to the verification service. Next, to log in to the system, you must enter an identifier, i.e., the details of the applicant’s foreign passport. After this procedure, you can check the readiness of the visa.

After receiving a passport with a visa stamp, you must immediately check on the spot whether it was issued correctly. Mistakes can lead to unpleasant consequences when crossing the border: a travel ban or a fine. If the applicant finds at least one, even minor, defect, he must immediately tell the employee who issued the passport about this, who will help resolve the issue or refer him to the appropriate specialist.

The following rules will help you read a Schengen visa correctly.

1. Photo. You must make sure that this is the applicant's photograph. Cases of pasting someone else's photo are rare, but they do happen.
2. Passport details. The visa may be invalid if there are errors in the holder's last name, first name or passport number. The information on the visa stamp must be the same as on the passport itself.
3. Territory of validity of the visa. It covers the entire Schengen area and can be provided by any consulate whose country is included in the Schengen area.
4. Visa type. Depending on the purpose of the trip, they are distinguished: A - this is a visa for free stay in the transit zone of the airport or travel through one of the countries in the zone to another; C – prolonged stay in the Schengen zone, but this period is limited to 90 days within 6 months; D – national visa for long-term stay, for example, for study.
5. Commencement of visa validity. This is usually the date of departure abroad.
6. Expiration of visa. Until this date, you can visit the Schengen countries and cross the border before 24 hours of the last day of validity of the visa.
7. Number of days spent. If the holder has a multiple visa, then he can stay in the country for 90 days within six months.
8. Frequency of entries. The following types of exits are distinguished: 01 - means that you can enter the Schengen country only once; 02 – you are allowed to visit countries only twice; MULT – unlimited number of entries.
9. Signature and seal of the consulate. Their presence is required, otherwise the visa is invalid.
10. VIS (Visa Information System) is a stamp for submitting biometric data and fingerprints.

How to check the authenticity of a visa, the above rules will help, compliance with which will allow the tourist to avoid mistakes and troubles that could overshadow the trip.

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Features of issuing a visa and how to obtain it

Applying for a Lithuanian visa is a rather complex process associated with a lot of difficulties. There are two ways to apply for Schengen:

• Independently by contacting the consulate.
• Through a certified visa center.

The first method is the most profitable from a financial point of view, since it only requires payment of a consular fee of 35 euros. In this case, the entire package of documents is collected by the applicant independently and submitted by appointment.

Visa Center

The second option is less profitable from a financial point of view, but from the point of view of saving time it is optimal, since the service center employees take care of all issues related to documentation support. However, such amenities are provided for a fee and involve an additional fee of 18 euros.

Important! The standard procedure for reviewing documents at the consulate takes up to 5 working days, and when submitting them through a visa center, this period increases by another 2-3 days.

At the same time, during the processing of documents, additional questions may arise that require clarification. Such situations can not only significantly slow down the process of issuing a visa to Lithuania, but also lead to a negative decision.