DOHA: The volume of visa applications received by the German embassy increased by 173 percent, three years after the opening of CSC WorldBridge Visa Application Centre, Ambassador Angelika Storz-Chakarji has said.
“When the centre opened in May 2011, the embassy received almost 4,000 applications from Qataris and in May 2014, only three years later, the number of applications increased by 173 percent,” Storz-Chakarji said at the formal inauguration of a new visa application centre yesterday.
The yearly amount of all visa applications has witnessed the same trend, she added.
“In 2011, we had 18,264 applications against 25,572 in 2013. The increase in the volume of applications, especially during the peak season of the summer months, has exceeded capacity so the situation is not easy and we are grateful to CSC WorldBridge Service for the rise in the number of travellers to Germany and countries we represent, including Austria, Norway, Slovenia, and Finland,” she said.
The new Schengen visa application centre is on a bigger space on the third floor of Al Jaidah Square Business Centre on Airport Road in Umm Ghuwailina.
“By moving to this new location, the centre has increased its capacity by about 150 percent and it’s ready to offer more convenient services to our customers,” she said, describing the centre as “a window to Germany and to some other European countries”.
“I assure you that we continuously try to improve our services because we want the experience of applying for visa an enjoyable endeavour instead of a dreadful task. By increasing our capacity, we, together with our partner, aim at reducing the waiting time to a minimum”.
She reminded applicants to apply at least 15 days ahead of their departure and encouraged Qataris and residents to visit Germany.
People seeking Schengen visa to travel to Germany, Finland, Norway, Slovenia and Austria can submit applications from Sunday to Thursday between 8.30am and 3.30pm at the centre. National long- term applications must still be submitted at the German embassy.
The Peninsula
