When you go to a visa centre, several offers of extra services come your way before you even hand in the documents. The courier, a special waiting room, a text alert service, photographs, insurance and the filling in of the form are all sold at separate prices. If you take the lot, the cost can come out higher than the fee itself. Below I have written which of them genuinely turns into time and comfort.
What an extra service is and why it is offered
A visa centre is not a state body but a company that has a contract with the consulate. Its income is made up of the service charge and additional sales, and that is why the offers are put forward so actively. This is legal and creates no problem at all; the choice is simply yours.
Let me say the most important point first: none of these services affects your chances of getting a visa. The decision is made by the consul, and they do not know which room you waited in. If someone tells you that “with the premium package the visa is issued faster”, that is not true.
The options worth paying for
| Courier delivery | Brings the passport home, saves one journey there and back |
| Photographs on the spot | Compliance with the size requirement is guaranteed |
| A fast appointment | A real solution when the queue is full |
| Copies and printing | Solves it on the spot when a document turns out to be missing |
The courier service makes particular sense for people coming from another city, because it removes the need to travel a second time to collect the passport. The photograph question is practical too, since the size and background requirements are strict and an unsuitable photo delays the application. A fast appointment, though, only makes sense in a period when no slot can be found.
Read more: The visa centre and biometrics: what the centre does and what it does not
Sold as extra services, but not needed
The first is the special waiting room. There is coffee and a comfortable armchair there, but the procedure stays the same and the same people look at the documents. It is comfort alone; even if you are in a hurry, it wins you no time.
The second is the text notification, whereas the status of an application can be followed on the website for free. The third is the form-filling service, and that one can be risky, because the responsibility for every answer in the form rests with you. The fourth is the insurance offered at the till; do not buy it without comparing it against the market. Assembling the document package correctly in advance, with professional support through the visa application, makes most of these add-ons unnecessary.
The difference between the fee and the service charge
Although the two payments are taken at one till, they are entirely separate things. The visa fee goes to the consulate and is not returned in the event of a refusal. The service charge is the centre’s own charge, and its not being returned is the normal state of affairs too.
Keep the receipt without fail and look at which amount on it went to what. Sometimes extra services are put on the list automatically, so go through the items listed out loud before you pay. Official information on the Schengen visa rules is given on the European Commission site.
In brief
The courier, photographs on the spot and, when you need it, a fast appointment bring real benefit; the rest is comfort being sold. No package increases your chances of a visa, so check the items on the receipt before paying and do not buy insurance in a hurry at the till. To build your application in advance, fill in the application form.
Note: the list of services and their prices vary by centre, so check the current tariff on the spot.
