Shushan Stepanyan, #CivilNetCheck
Saten Grigoryan wanted to go to Germany last June to attend a concert. In February, Saten applied to the German embassy to schedule a visa interview. As the concert date approached, she still had not received any response. Unable to travel to Germany, she decided to apply to another embassy to spend her vacation in Europe.
She contacted a travel agency, which suggested she apply to the Spanish embassy, assuring her it would be relatively quick and easy. The agency scheduled an interview for her and submitted her documents to the Spanish visa center. From there, the documents were sent to the Spanish consulate in Moscow, where visa decisions are made for Armenian citizens.
“After weeks of waiting for my passport, I decided I no longer wanted to go through all that and canceled my applications at both the German embassy and Spanish consulate,” Saten says.
All together, she had already spent roughly 155 USD just on the visa application for Spain.
“I paid the travel agency 20,000 drams [ approximately 50 USD ] to reserve an interview appointment for me, and another 40,000 drams [ approximately 100 USD ] for the visa center and embassy fees, not including the costs for translating the documents,” Saten explains.
Saten is far from the only person facing such problems. Every day, hundreds of Armenian citizens voice their concerns on various social media groups about the difficulties of obtaining a Schengen visa, the impossibility of scheduling an interview, and a myriad of other issues.
The EU-Armenia Visa Liberalization Process
Armenia and the European Union signed a visa facilitation agreement in 2012, which provides for “fewer documents, a fee of 35 euros, and 10 calendar days to obtain a visa (with the period extendable to up to 30 calendar days only in special cases).” This agreement came into force in 2014.
In July, all European ambassadors signaled their approval for the European Commission’s proposal to start negotiations on visa liberalization with Armenia. The process had been delayed for a long time due to opposition from a number of EU member countries.
Although official statements make it appear that Armenia is closer to the EU than ever, the reality on the ground is very different.
Is it Possible to Book a Visa Appointment at the Embassy Without an Intermediary?
Despite that relatively inexpensive fee (35 euros), Armenian citizens, in practice, end up spending significantly more to obtain a Schengen visa, including booking visa appointments through intermediaries.
Considering the constant stream of complaints online, #CivilNetCheck’s journalists also attempted to book an appointment for a visa.
We tried to reserve an appointment at the Italian embassy, which works with the Yerevan-based International Visa Center. To book an appointment without incurring additional fees, you need to check the visa center’s page every day after registering. After several days of trying, we gave up, as no available slots ever opened.
It was also impossible to book a free appointment to obtain a Spanish visa without an intermediary service. In this case, too, we had to regularly check the website to find an available slot or opt for the paid option.
Similarly, to obtain a Schengen visa from the Lithuanian embassy, you must first register on the International Visa Center’s website and schedule an appointment. In this case, it was also impossible to reserve a day without an intermediary service provider.
One of the travel agencies #CivilNetCheck’s journalists contacted offered to reserve a spot at the Lithuanian embassy for 80 USD saying they work with an individual who can secure a spot using a bot, or automated software system.
The Greek embassy also handles visa issuance through a visa center. However, citizens who try to book spots independently claim that it is impossible to reserve a slot. The only option left is to use paid services.
One of the travel agencies offered to reserve an appointment at the Greek embassy for 65 USD. In addition, the agency said that an additional 90 USD would be required at the visa center when submitting the documents, totaling 155 USD. They did not provide details on how they would secure an appointment.
When booking an appointment without an intermediary is not possible, some embassies offer an expedited appointment option for an additional fee. The prices for these services vary between visa centers working with the different embassies. For example, to secure an expedited appointment at the Spanish consulate, an additional 50 USD is required; for Greece, about 40 USD; for Italy, 50 USD, and so on.
In response to #CivilNetCheck’s inquiry, the EU Delegation to Armenia said in such cases, the service fee should not exceed 30 euros. However, additional charges may apply for services not related to visa issuance, such as document transfer, access to a private waiting room, and so forth.
Since this year, Bulgaria has partially joined the Schengen zone, which means it can also issue Schengen visas. Currently, Armenian citizens do not face difficulties in obtaining a visa from the Bulgarian embassy. However, upon entering the country, Armenian citizens are often denied entry and end up in isolation rooms.
Additional Difficulties with Booking a Visa Appointment
Several embassies have changed their visa appointment booking systems, leading to additional difficulties.
Armenian citizens have been posting in social media groups for months to figure out how many months long the waitlist for the German embassy is. In other words, Armenian citizens need to plan their trip to Germany 6-7 months in advance.
The Polish and Czech embassies each use a lottery system to select who will be able to receive an appointment and submit their documents. In other words, there is no certainty. Only those selected will have the chance to submit their documents, after which the embassy will decide whether to issue a visa.
In response to #CivilNetCheck’s inquiry, Czech Ambassador to Armenia Petr Piruncik confirmed that travel agencies will no longer be able to profit from Czech visas.
“We are eliminating the possibility of charging fees for various ‘services,” said Piruncik.
Despite this, we found advertisements online where travel agencies promised to assist with obtaining a Czech visa.
We contacted one of those agencies, which charges 50 USD just to book an appointment. They said they would regularly apply on our behalf until November, assuring us of their success in previous attempts, and adding that they would be able to secure an appointment after several tries. The entire package, including document preparation, cost 100 USD.
To book an appointment at the French embassy, you need to send a letter to the designated email address, but the response time is not given. In other words, Armenian citizens cannot select a convenient day and time to submit their documents. Instead, they must send a letter months before their flight and wait for the embassy to schedule a meeting.
One of the travel agencies that #CivilNetCheck reached out to did not specify a particular date, but guaranteed that they would secure an appointment at the French embassy by November for 80 USD.
What Causes the Large Number of Queues at Embassies?
Article 7 of the EU Council Regulation says: “Member States should ensure that the quality of the service offered to the public is of a high standard and follows good administrative practices. They should allocate appropriate numbers of trained staff as well as sufficient resources in order to facilitate as much as possible the visa application process. Member States should ensure that a ‘one-stop’ principle is applied to all applicants.”
Months ago, Vassilis Maragos, the head of the EU delegation to Armenia, said in an interview with Radio Azatutyun, RFE/RL’s Armenian service, that embassy staff had been reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the number of visa applicants increased afterward. The number of visa applicants has indeed increased, and notably, the number of rejections has also risen.
A screenshot from the EU Delegation to Armenia’s response to CivilNetCheck’s inquiry. Green shows the number of approved visa applications, while red shows the number of rejected visa applications.
Maragos also insisted that the embassies are doing everything possible to return to the pre-Covid situation.
What Steps Are Being Taken?
In #CivilNetCheck’s inquiry to the EU delegation, we asked about the steps the embassies are taking to return to the pre-pandemic situation. In response, the delegation said “the Commission regularly calls on the Member States’ visa authorities to improve their operational capacities and address this issue by releasing more appointments.”
In response to #CivilNetCheck’s inquiry, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said visa-related issues are “a permanent agenda item during meetings with diplomats and are raised at every opportunity.”
In short, Armenian citizens planning to travel to an EU country continue to encounter numerous problems, including humiliation, despite the simplified procedures and low fees on paper. In effect, the application process is organized in such a way that individuals cannot book an appointment independently.
Translated by Zara Poghosyan.
Հոդվածը կարդացե՛ք հայերեն Շենգենյան վիզան Հայաստանում՝ թղթի վրա «դյուրին», իրականում՝ դժվար կամ անհնար
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