You will be quoted a minimum processing time when you request information. This is for our benefit and your benefit, it allows for your documents to checked and lodged in an orderly manner and provided that you have provided all documents which we have requested in the beginning and allowed sufficient time we will re-lodge your application where possible and without further charge should the Embassy request additional documents. The quoted processing times are a guide and may vary during busy periods. The quoted processing time will start from the time we receive all your documents correctly. We may, at our discretion, accept an application where a client has less than our quoted processing time but where there is sufficient time for the Embassy to process the visa. Where we do accept such an urgent application it will always be dependant upon the documents being supplied as requested at the time we accept the application. If documents are not in order or we have to wait for additional document(s), it may no longer be physically possible for us to lodge your application either because of our prior commitments to other clients or because of the Embassy’s minimum processing time. If this is the case you will be advised and we will return your documents to you.

You may be able to apply in person in some cases. If we accept your urgent application we will do our best for you but we cannot take any responsibility for urgent applications. Clients should be aware that if they leave their application to the last minute there is a very great risk that if something does not go to plan then they will not receive their visa in time to travel. Among the many things that can go wrong are: Embassy not accepting your documents the first time, Embassy’s computer being down, Embassy changing processing times, a national holiday of which we are not aware resulting in the Embassy being shut for one or more days, Embassy strikes, transport strikes or delays, flooding, bomb scares, threat of terrorism, accidents or any other kinds of delays. Urgent applications incur an additional surcharge.

Instant Visas service charge to you for processing your visa will be quoted to you in the beginning. The fee which shall be payable by the client in respect of the services provided by Instant Visas is exclusive of any consular charges whatsoever. Instant Visas reserves the right to revise its charges at any time without prior notice being given. There is an additional charge for urgent applications, which we may accept at our discretion. Once we have accepted your application our service charge will not change unless we are unable to lodge your documents because we are still waiting for you to provide something and the time which it takes you to provide it means that your application will then have to be lodged during a busier period when we have a higher service charge normally or your application becomes an urgent application for which an additional fee is applicable. You will be advised if this is likely to occur. We cannot be responsible for any increase in Embassies’ visa fees, in such cases the client will have to cover the additional fee. Instant Visas reserves the right to retain all passports and documents until payment of the aforementioned amounts is received in full.

Should you decide to cancel your application after we have received and checked all documents and before the documents have been lodged at the Embassy a cancellation charge of £20 will apply. Applications cannot be cancelled and travel dates cannot be changed after documents have been lodged at the Embassy and the full service charge and visa fee will apply. It may be possible to withdraw a passport in an extreme emergency depending on the Embassy’s policy, however, visa fees and service charge will still apply. If you unable to supply any additional documents required by the Embassy on time after we have received and checked your application the application will be deemed to have been cancelled and a £20 administrative charge will apply. If the application has already been lodged in the Embassy the full service charge will apply.

We will check your documents when we receive them from you. If we notice anything, which we overlooked the first time, we will contact you provided you have given us contact numbers we will let you know by phone that we have received your documents and that they appear to be in order or inform you of anything else which may be needed. If you have posted your application and have not heard from us within 2 working days to say that we have received it please do call us. You will be given an approximate date of completion at the time we receive your documents, which, provided you have allowed enough time, will be well before your travel date. It will approximate to our minimum processing times on our visa information sheets. The minimum processing time starts from the time we have received all your documents completely and correctly. We will call you as soon as we hear anything from the Embassy, either if they have requested additional information or when your visa has been granted.

It is not necessary to call us during this period unless there is a genuine emergency. If there is anything to discuss we will call you. Repeated telephone calls requesting updates on information or earlier completion dates greatly add to our stress and workload and distract us from the main tasks of tracking the passports, which are going in and out of Embassies, and of processing your visa application. We are aware of your travel dates and are processing applications in order of travel. Your passport will be delivered or posted back to you or we will let you know when it is available for collection. If you have not received your passport back within 3 working days of your travel date, and if you have not heard anything from us or we have not advised you that it will be completed within this 3 day period, please DO call us. We can only communicate directly with the person for whom we are processing the visa. It is your responsibility to ensure that the telephone numbers you have given us are correct and messages will be checked by yourself regularly. Instant Visaswill retain your details and may contact you in the future with information regarding visas. We will not pass on your details to any third parties.

You must disclose all relevant matters to us before we collect your documents. This includes but is not limited to, previous misuse of a visa (particularly obtaining a visa from one Schengen state but not travelling to that state on it first), if you have an application already in process, if you have applied yourself or through another agency and been refused at any Embassy or requested to bring other documents, if you have been banned by any Embassy from obtaining a visa; if you have a dependant’s visa for the UK, if your passport expires within 12 months or your UK visa expires within 3 months, if you have a temporary passport, if your UK visa is stamped in a previous passport but not in your current passport, if your current UK visa allows a s continuous stay of 6 months or less in the UK (from date of entry/issuance) and any other fact which may be relevant to your application. We can often advise you if you disclose the information to us. If you are refused a visa because you have not disclosed some information to us our full service charge will apply.

Please also ensure you keep copies of all your documents, including your passport and UK visa. We do not keep copies of your documents for our records and we do not record your passport number. Once we have lodged your application in the Embassy we may be unable to access this information should you need it for any reason. Embassies often retain bank statements, employer’s letters and any non-original documents relating to travel, e.g. faxes from hotels and Internet confirmation. Therefore, if you need this information, it is vital you keep copies.