Problem with Belgian Embassy

[Richard66]

How do people view this? As a starter, I am planning to engage the BBC (how about watchdog), & maybe Panorama as well....but I need numbers (in terms of actual individual cases, how many were messed about with, which embassies were involved, ....as we would need to target all the embassies that are behaving in a similar way with our spouses ....i.e. in the case of EU/EEA/UK citizens..not just for Belgium....

Are you only thinking of EEA embassies in the UK? If you think UK embassies in the EEA might be eligible, you'll have a crowd behind you. I'd certainly love to see this cat (more lika a tiger, really) coming out and seeing the sun.

[mym]

In my opinion this £22 fee can and ought to be challenged as an indirect visa fee on EEA family members as the Belgian Embassy doesn't give an option for people not to use their visa agent.

Yes they do.

a response from SOLVIT Belgium:


The spouse of an EU national is not obliged to make a payment to obtain a visa, and any applicant is free to file their application directly with the Belgian Embassy in London, this advice can be found in the following link:

http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa ... XTID=40117

However, the Embassy also includes on its website the services of a private company, VFS, which can help the citizen obtain a quicker visa and avoid the need to make an appointment and go in person to the Embassy, the services of this private company are not free, it costs £22, but a citizen does not have to use the company, a direct application to the Embassy can be made.

[Richard66]

Yes they do.

Is the embasssy aware of this? I can tell you Italian embassies do the same sort of thing and the law says this service is optional, but... try telling that to the Embassy!

[mym]

Yes they do.

Is the embassy aware of this?

It's on their website.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Is this still dear Miss CB who sent you this e-mail, Mark? She might in part be right, but only in part. What I mean is, that from what I know the border police might ask you and your family member for these details once you attempt to enter another EEA state (the Italian border police recently sent back to Romania some people whom they suspected of fraud), but this might happen once every 1,000 years or so. Does anyone else agre with this or am I saying something outrageous?

What is wrong is that the embassies cannot ask for this beforehand from everyone.

From my reading of all these regulations and directives it's all very confusing, with one contradicting the other. It's so easy to pick and choose which particular regulation or law to apply.

For stays of less than 3 months, as an EU citizen, you can go another member state without having any evidence that you plan to return to your state of origin. Or that you have enough money or health insurance. Or that you have a fixed place to stay.

This applies also to family members of an EU citizen.

They can not require you to answer these in the embassy for issuing a visa. And they can't ask for it at the border.

That doesn't stop them from asking, but you are not required to answer.

[mym]

The confusion in this issue arises because the visa that must in principle be issued under the Directive is issued in practice according to the Common Consular Instructions of the Schengen Agreement.

Some interesting info from a reply from an EU Law expert:

Regretably, at present the Schengen Agreement does not make a distinction according to non-EU nationals who have no family ties to EU citizens and those who are family members exercising their EU rights to free movement. As a result, the consular authorities currently apply the requirements of the Schengen Agreement in full as regards the documentation necessary for the issue of visas.

We will be making the European Commission aware of a discrepancy between, on the one hand, the right of non-EU citizens who are family members of EU citizens to have visas issued _as soon as possible and on the basis of an accelerated procedure_ and, on the other hand, the burdensome documentary requirements contained in the Common Consular Instruction Manual issued under the Schengen Agreement.

It will then be a matter for the European Commission to propose any amendment to the rules to ensure that non-EU family member can fully enjoy an _accelerated procedure_ for the issue of Schengen visas.

However, at this stage, we can only advise you to comply with the request for information made by consular officials in accordance with the Common Consular Manual.

[Richard66]

Regretably, at present the Schengen Agreement does not make a distinction according to non-EU nationals who have no family ties to EU citizens and those who are family members exercising their EU rights to free movement. As a result, the consular authorities currently apply the requirements of the Schengen Agreement in full as regards the documentation necessary for the issue of visas.

There are times I wonder if Mr Bean isn't working in Brussels.

[archigabe]

Regretably, at present the Schengen Agreement does not make a distinction according to non-EU nationals who have no family ties to EU citizens and those who are family members exercising their EU rights to free movement. As a result, the consular authorities currently apply the requirements of the Schengen Agreement in full as regards the documentation necessary for the issue of visas.

There are times I wonder if Mr Bean isn't working in Brussels.

Sometimes these Embassy bureaucrats may seem all powerful, but if you create enough of a stink even they can be transferred. Some friends of ours had a lot of problems from the French Embassy when they applied for the certificates to get married and the consul refused and gave them a lot of problems. They created enough of a stink that the consul got transferred within a few months. I know this happened to a consul in South Asia and a petty bureaucrat in the French Embassy in Ireland.

[vwords2000]

Hi everyone,
I have been reading all about the delays by Belgium embassy and unfortunately chanced upon this site a wee bit late. I had already send in my application when I happened to find this site.
I am an Indian citizen and a student in Uk. My problem is with the VFS application centre- when I submitted my postal application I received no acknowledgement from them. I had to mail them to ask for my reference number as I just could not track my application, and by the way they were kind enough to let me know that my applicaiton has been forwarded to the Belgian Home Office for further advice and I would take between 5 to 15 working days to receive a feedback reg my application. I though it better to confirm with the Belgian Home Office, I called the help desk and was informed it normally takes 4 to 6 weeks for processing any application.
I am most annoyed with the VFS service, being an outsourcing partner of the Belgium Embassy aren't they suppose to have consistent data esp with regard to the processing time??? I rechecked the website but no where it says 4 to 6 weeks, it just says ' in some cases would take longer'.

I have already booked my tickets, accommodation for the coming week and woudl undergo so much loss.As a student you do not live lavishly; you need to budget every expense...but these people do not seem to understand a thing.

Is there anything that can be done?

Thanks for all the informative posts...I have learnt a lot!

Best

[vwords2000]

PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:16 am Post subject: Belgium Visa Delays Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post
Hi everyone,
I have been reading all about the delays by Belgium embassy and unfortunately chanced upon this site a wee bit late. I had already send in my application when I happened to find this site.
I am an Indian citizen and a student in Uk. My problem is with the VFS application centre- when I submitted my postal application I received no acknowledgement from them. I had to mail them to ask for my reference number as I just could not track my application, and by the way they were kind enough to let me know that my applicaiton has been forwarded to the Belgian Home Office for further advice and I would take between 5 to 15 working days to receive a feedback reg my application. I though it better to confirm with the Belgian Home Office, I called the help desk and was informed it normally takes 4 to 6 weeks for processing any application.
I am most annoyed with the VFS service, being an outsourcing partner of the Belgium Embassy aren't they suppose to have consistent data esp with regard to the processing time??? I rechecked the website but no where it says 4 to 6 weeks, it just says ' in some cases would take longer'.

I have already booked my tickets, accommodation for the coming week and woudl undergo so much loss.As a student you do not live lavishly; you need to budget every expense...but these people do not seem to understand a thing.

Is there anything that can be done?

Thanks for all the informative posts...I have learnt a lot!

Best