Obtaining an appointment to submit a Schengen visa application is an obstacle course in Algeria. The scarcity and management of slots at the level of European consular representations have given rise to a profitable parallel market for the sale of appointments.
In a written response to a member’s question, published Friday, September 13, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf assured that the fight against these “shameful practices” has become a priority for his services.
Every Schengen visa applicant knows this. To have a chance of obtaining an appointment to apply, it is essential to entrust the file to informal providers, for a fee. The activity of these “facilitators” is booming in Algeria.
“Appointments are sold at exorbitant prices, up to 100,000 DZD”
Recently, immigration deputy Abdelouahab Yagoubi sent a written question to the Algerian government, calling for an effective fight against the phenomenon of selling appointments.
“The phenomenon of selling appointments through intermediaries, tourist agencies or even unknown individuals, via social networks, has recently become widespread,” underlined the parliamentarian.
According to him, these illegal intermediaries exploit the urgent need to travel of some of our fellow citizens for various reasons to “illegally sell appointments at exorbitant prices, up to 100,000 DZD”.
The MP also did not fail to talk about the “humiliating” conditions faced by applicants in front of the companies providing consular services, resulting in particular in long queues.
Thus, Yagoubi calls for an effective fight against this scourge which would involve several stakeholders, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Commerce.
He also asks for explanations about the measures taken by the government to put an end to this scourge and ensure a treatment that preserves the dignity of our fellow citizens and protects their money.
Sale of visa appointments: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains
In his response, published this Friday, September 13 by the MP, the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that “the fight against these shameful practices has become a priority for our competent services”.
The authority specifies, in this regard, that it “periodically alerts” foreign diplomatic representations as soon as violations of this type occur. The latter are also urged to ensure “compliance with the national legislation in force, as well as to provide all possible facilities to Algerian citizens in the processing of visa applications under the principle of reciprocity”.
Moreover, the minister indicates that this awareness-raising work has “provided good results to date”. Some of the foreign consular representations have, according to the same source, put in place technical measures to combat the illicit sale of appointments.
This includes the creation of websites allowing Algerian applicants to directly submit and monitor their visa applications themselves, without resorting to intermediaries.
In addition, it was noted that “certain foreign diplomatic centers have initiated proceedings against people involved in cases of extortion and fraud at the level of the centers concerned,” added the ministry.
Finally, the minister assures that he is working, within the limits of his skills, “to continue his efforts in the fight against this dangerous phenomenon and to ensure better treatment of citizens within diplomatic representations”.
