After struggling to find free appointments for filing their Schengen visa applications, numerous non-British citizens residing in the United Kingdom have just shown up at the BLS International Visa Centre Offices in London with their application files completed. The same claim that they have been able to apply without any problems, in spite of not having made an appointment in advance.
Yet, according to the BLS website, walk-in applications are not possible and appointments must be booked by all, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“Applicants must book an appointment to submit their application,” the Centre writes in its FAQ in its official website.
However, applicants have shared their experiences online, claiming that those who just show up at the BLS offices in London are indeed, permitted to apply, and are rarely turned away.
“After utter frustration and sheer disappointment of not being able to get an appointment online no matter how many times I tried, I decided to try do a walk in appointment,” visa applicant Casey Wiggin wrote in Facebook group Schengen Visa Community about her experience of June 27.
Further she explained that she arrived at the visa centre at 7.00 am, and after waiting for about two hours she was finally able to submit her application with all the documents required, that she had prepared in advance.
Overall, Casey has only good words for her experience, pointing out that by 9.20 am she was out of the visa centre, having completed all of the procedures. She also points out that the majority of people that showed up at the visa centre were without appointments, with only four having booked an appointment and around 20 others being walk ins.
Yet, when contacted by other applicants, BLS Centre in Spain, told them that walk-ins would not be permitted to file their applications.
“We are seven friends and we want to go to Spain in August. I have tried calling BLS SPAIN, London and they said they are not allowing any walk ins,” an anonymous group member wrote.
Other group members advised the same to go ahead and show up at the visa centre without booking an interview, claiming that BLS will “tell you not to walk in over the phone, but if you walk in they will allow in.”
Group member Diego Minendez confirmed this, further sharing his experience that he applied on June 14 by just showing up at the centre without an appointment. The same revealed that he had already gotten his passport on June 16, only 12 days after applying.
While UK citizens do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen Zone, passport holders of third countries under the Schengen visa regime residing in the UK, need to apply for such a visa, in order to visit the majority of Europe.
These applicants have recently been complaining about the lack of appointments at the EU visa centres in the UK, though they are not the only ones going through such trouble, as applicants worldwide are also facing such lack of free visa slots, waiting for months in order to be able to book an appointment.
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