The service is now being made available in the city with the opening of a new German Schengen Visa Application Center on Madinah Road.
Muhammad bin Ahmad Tayeb, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director general for Makkah province, German Consul General Michael Zickerick and Prince Faisal Abdullah Al-Faisal, CEO of Al Etimad Modern Business Solutions Co. jointly performed the inauguration. The center is located in Ruwais district, opposite of SNAS Building, near the intersection of King Abdullah and Madinah roads. The German diplomatic mission has opened the center in collaboration with Dubai-based VFS Global, with Al Etimad Modern Business Solutions Co. as VFS Global’s local partner.
The center will handle applications for German Schengen visas. The center will start offering its services to the public from Saturday. VFS Global will provide the necessary information about visas and their requirements, verify applications for completeness and forward them to the German Embassy in Riyadh for processing. If the embassy asks for an interview, VFS Global will also schedule the necessary appointments.
It is hoped that this move would represent a considerable improvement for visa obtaining procedures, as applicants (Saudis and expatriates as well) will be able to apply for their German Schengen visas in Jeddah without the need to travel to Riyadh.
The envoy emphasized that Germany should be the first destination of the visa applicant at the center. Under Schengen rules, the visa must be obtained from the embassy or consulate of the country where the applicant’s main destination is, otherwise entry may be refused at any of the German airports.
“With the opening of this center for German visas, I fulfill the commitment given to the community,” Tayeb said in his remarks. The consul general hoped that the center would fulfill the long-felt requirements of Germany and Europe bound travelers.
Speaking to Arab News, the prince said the joint visa application center has added Germany to the list of countries for which it is handling visa applications. The countries include France, Malta, Australia, the UK and India. More such centers are being planned in Jeddah and across the Kingdom as and when more countries are added to the center’s portfolio. The center is currently being managed by 25 people.
