AbijahGermany has extended its visa processing connection across Africa and the Middle East via VFS Global, an individual outsourcing firm that includes new Germany Visa Application Centers in major destinations, including Cyprus, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
This action observes a renewed seven-year agreement between the German Federal Foreign Office and VFS Global.
Before the visa centers were made available, Nigerian candidates for German visas mainly used the German Consulate General in Lagos and the Embassy of Germany located in Abuja to process their visas.
Hence, VFS Global did not run Germany Visa Application Centers (VACs) in Nigeria, particularly since several candidates had to present their documents directly at the embassy or consulate, which usually implied restricted booking spots and long waiting duration.
With the introduction, VFS Global will currently address the first collection of visa requests, biometric information, and appointment bookings, making the procedure more facilitated and easier to access, mostly for people outside major regions.
NEW HUBS TO SIMPLIFY VIA ENTRY
As an aspect of the contract, four new hubs have been made available in:
- Nicosia, Cyprus
- Abuja, Nigeria
- Yaounde, Cameroon
- Lagos Nigeria
These inclusions bring VFS Global’s total number of German visa request hubs to 72 worldwide. VFS Global already runs German visa services in regions such as Algiers in Algeria, Doha in Qatar, Manama in Bahrain, Beirut in Lebanon, Erbil in Iraq, Muscat in Oman, Amman in Jordan, Kuwait City in Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
With reactions to the expansion, the Chief Commercial Officer of VFS Global, Jiten Vyas, explained the renewed agreements as a solid vote of assurance by the German Federal Foreign Office in our services.
REASON THE DEVELOPMENT IS IMPORTANT
Germany remains a top destination for African and Middle Eastern tourists looking for education, healthcare, tourism, and skilled prospects. The rise in visa centers is anticipated to decrease congestion, extend booking slots, and simplify the request experience.
VFS Global also raised concerns about false webpages and scam agents offering safe visa appointments for a fee. The organization recommends that travelers only schedule appointments through the official VFS Global webpage.
WHAT TRAVELERS SHOULD KNOW
Last year, Nigeria accounted for a Schengen visa refusal rate of 45.9 percent, which made it the third-highest worldwide, behind Senegal and Bangladesh. This highlights a quick rise from the 40.8% refusal rate 2023, demonstrating that almost half of all Nigerian candidates refused access into the Schengen region in 2024.
The report, which cited information from the European Commission, clarified that this increase occurred regardless of a wider rise in European visa authorizations.
Based on information, Schengen consulates acquired more than 11.7 million visa requests worldwide in the previous year, a 13.6 percent increase from 2023.
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