Emeka Aginam
18 June 2008
Lagos — With the expansion of its capacity of online visa appointment from 100 to 124 per day , the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Lagos office, has again, cautioned its genuine visa applicants on late online visa appointment , saying that the embassy would not entertain complaints from late applicants as the new system gives equal opportunities.
Even as the number of online visa appointment applicants increases by the day, the embassy which has been in the forefront of transparent visa application process, said it would continue to give their best services to Nigerians, adding that the web-based visa appointment system introduced last year has been very efficient.
The Head of Lagos Office of the Embassy, Dr Ralf Teepe, in an interaction with Vanguard Computers & e-business recently in Lagos noted that people ought to give their travel priority attention. "We have the capacity to take 137 applications per day. T
hat is our current capacity. Currently the appointment slots are filled two and a half weeks in advance, the processing of the visa takes one week. People should get the process started four weeks before their travel to be on the safe side.
We can only be flexible in the case of medical emergency" Teepe who has been very optimistic about German/Nigerian business relations noted.
The web based appointment system which has continued to excite genuine visa applicants after its introduction, Teepe said , has been very effective, convenient and allows easy and free access to all applicants unlike the days when telephone was used to book appointment.
"We have been very transparent in our visa process. Our major challenge is late application, incomplete application and fraudulent application. We do not and will never tolerate, especially, forgery in any visa application. That is not acceptable in the German embassy. Applicants should know it now. It is also important that applicants should not patronize visa racketeers or touts" Teepe explained.
With the web based appointment system, without any help from anybody, Dr Teepe said that applicants can source their appointment 24 hours, seven days a week respectively. "The system is a total computer process and is transparent We are comfortable with the new system as it guarantees equal opportunity" he said
While expressing confidence in the web based process in getting visa appointment like other foreign nationals in the country, the Head of Lagos Office of the German embassy, assured that the embassy will continue to give all visa applicants fair hearing and equal opportunity. While noting that German Embassy has been fair to its visa applicants , in 2007, for instance, he informed that most visa denied were based on many reasons, including fake documents. But Nigeria is an important trading partners to Germany, he added.
Before now, it would be recalled that the Lagos Office of the German Embassy engaged the services of VF Global Services Nigeria Ltd. to operate the visa appointment system.
Under the arrangement, VF Global Services is entitled to levy a service charge of N1380 from each applicant. VF Global Services partners with Sterling Bank to collect the service charge. After payment of the service charge, the applicant then books his appointment online on the website www.germany-ng.com. The German Visa Call Centre has officially been authorized by the German Embassy in Nigeria to schedule appointments online for applicants applying for private and business visa. From December 21, 2007, it would be recalled that Schengen visa will also be valid for the following countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Malta. He added that, from the same date, new Schengen regulations regard-ing applicants from a number of countries, amongst them Nigeria, will lengthen the processing time of the visa applications to two weeks.
In their fight against forgery and fraudulent use of documents, it would be recalled that the Federal Republic of Germany has supported the Nigerian Immigration Service officers stationed at the Murtala Mohamed Airport Ikeja with ten sophisticated document forgery detectors from the specialized German company Waldmann
A bilateral memorandum of understanding between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Republic of Germany signed in 1996 provides mutual assistance in the fight against forgery and illegal entry by air.
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I have been trying to book apointment on line since 2nd of June 2009 till date but not been able to get an opening. I was told at the embassy that at the expiration of the appointment schedule fees (valid for 30 days) paid at the bank, a new one will have to be paid for one to secure an appointment. Is this a money making venture. This isnt fair at all. at the end, how many fees wud one pay b4 geting a date with the way the system is structured. if they can make the fees valid for… [Read Full Text]
First of all i like to commend the German embassy for introducing this new system of visa application,and the tranperency involved.I don't know if this is the right site to lay my complain,anyway, But with all these,i have a lot of grudges and even anger at how the embassy refused visa twice to my husband who is comin only for a visit. I work in Germany ( for a 5 year contract)am into my fourth year now,but tilt today the embassy have refused visas for my husban and children. Although I only got married in 2007,with all genunine documents we… [Read Full Text]