Travel agents are reporting lengthy delays in securing and processing Italian visas in Johannesburg, putting bookings at risk and leaving some clients without their passports ahead of other planned travel.
Italy’s Consulate General in Johannesburg has warned that a peak-season backlog is causing applications to take longer than the standard 15 calendar days, while agents report processing estimates of up to 35 days.
Purity Bere, Owner and Founder of Transcend Travel, told Travel News that she submitted a group application on June 29 for travel on September 25. As of September 17, the group had still not received their visas.
In an automatic response to Bere’s queries, the Consulate’s Visa Office said applications were being processed according to departure date during the May-to-September peak season, rather than according to the date on which they were submitted.
Charmaine Lombard, an Independent Travel Consultant at Lowveld Travel Hub, said that her client’s application, submitted on August 4, had only been approved on September 4. She said the estimated processing time provided by her visa specialist had changed from 15 to 35 days just three days after the application was submitted.
A VFS Spokesperson advised travel agents to monitor appointment availability regularly, apply as early as permitted under Schengen regulations and ensure that applications were complete when submitted.
“While we continue to work with the relevant authorities to make available all appointment capacity allocated to us and to ensure applications are submitted efficiently and securely once lodged, we strongly encourage applicants to apply well in advance of their intended travel date,” said the VFS Spokesperson.
Bookings affected
Agents explained that the delays were resulting in stressful situations, as bookings were at risk and their clients’ passports stayed at the Consulate, complicating other travel logistics.
“Even if we do get the visas right before my group travels, we do not have any time to make corrections if, for example, there is an error in one of my travellers’ names on their visa. We are not going to have enough time to get that rectified,” said Bere. “If anything goes wrong, we are going to have to cancel all the bookings we have already made and potentially postpone.”
Additionally, she explained that as her travellers had not received their passports back from the Consulate yet, they were not able to secure forex for their trip.
Lombard added that, due to the delay in the delivery of her clients’ passports, she was unable to apply for their UAE visa, as they were going to stop over there for a couple of days as part of their trip.
Lastly, Bere said that this could compromise her relationship with her clients.
“Some of my clients are from the outskirts and the villages. Some have spent years saving up for their holiday. So, if a visa suddenly goes wrong, even though everything was submitted correctly, it doesn't give a good impression of the agent.
“Even when you explain to some people that there is a delay at the consulate, some people don't fully understand, because they think that they have paid for your services and expertise and so you will be able to sort it out.”
