Agents on Open Jaw by Travelinfohave raised concerns about a number of Schengen visa application
centres turning their clients away on the basis that a tour operator (TO)
voucher is insufficient proof of hotel accommodation.
The Greek, Italian, French and Spanish application centres
were singled out by agents as having recently turned clients away for this
reason.
According to the Schengen visa application centres canvassed
by eTNW, applications may be rejected
if proof of the hotel booking is not supplied on the hotel’s official
letterhead.
GVCW, Capago, VFS, Visalink Intergate and BLS all said that
agents were advised to submit both the TO voucher and the confirmation from the
hotel.
VFS added: “It depends on the reputability of the tour
operator and on whether or not the client’s names are listed in full on the
proof of booking (among other details), however a tour operator voucher runs
the risk of being rejected, where the confirmation from the hotel does not.”
The Greek Consulate in Cape Town, told eTNW that while clients had always been advised to provide proof of
accommodation as supplied by the hotel itself, their application centre had
recently started enforcing this more stringently.
Michele Kendall, md
of Visalogix, said securing proof of the booking from the hotel could be time
consuming and that agents should take this into account when determining the
timeline for visa applications.
She added that African embassies were also starting to
insist on receiving proof of the booking on official hotel stationery. “At this
point Ivory Coast and Nigeria are also requesting this. We expect other African
countries to follow suit.”
Michele said this could be a response from embassies to South
African clients putting together false itineraries to secure visaswhen
they want to backpack, or do not have any fixed accommodation, when they travel
through the Schengen area.
