The Commercial Court of Kosovo has prohibited VisaMetric from requiring German visa applicants to pay a postal service of €30 for the return of passports when the process is finalised.
The news of the move was announced by Flamur Abdullahu, who is a lawyer and gave the proposal that such a measure gets taken for the common interest of all citizens of the country, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“On Europe Day, I inform you that the Commercial Court, in both instances, has issued a decision that prohibits the company Visametric L.L.C. from forcing applicants to pay for the postal service for passport return when applying for visas at the German Embassy,” Abdullahu wrote on his Facebook account on May 9.
He further said that the obligation for applicants to pay for the postal service is just one of the many cases of abuse, and at the same time, stressed that the amount of €30 per person represents several million in profits for the company, in violation of the Law on Consumer Protection.
“I have filed a Collective Lawsuit in the public interest against Visametric L.L.C. for this issue. The profession of a lawyer gives us the obligation to respond with legal steps wherever we see injustice,” Abdullahu added.
VisaMetric currently is the only official contractor of the German Embassy in Kosovo accepting Schengen visa applications filed by the country’s nationals.
The company has been responsible for carrying out such operations since September 2022. However, after receiving multiple complaints about the VisaMetric services, Abdullahu decided to take action.
Following reports as well as complaints from citizens of Kosovo regarding the payment requirements and services, the Market Inspectorate took the decision to visit the management and carry out an inspection earlier in April.
Not long after, the Inspectorate came out with an official statement on the matter, ruling in favour of consumers, which means that they encountered abuses during the inspection.
For all the violations encountered during the inspection, the Inspectorate said that it had taken actions in line with the country’s laws and noted that all those who have been affected will be reimbursed.
The EU Parliament gave the green light on visa-free travel with Kosovo in April of this year. The Parliament said that the next year, all citizens of Kosovo will e permitted to travel to the bloc without having to obtain a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
However, until this decision becomes fully effective, citizens of Kosovo will continue to be required to obtain a Schengen visa before reaching Germany or any other European Union/Schengen Area country.
>> Kosovars Travelling to Europe – EU Entry Requirements for Kosovan Citizens