The Schengen House has, since February 2019, reopened after a break with the diplomatic muddle between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Kingdom of Belgium. In order to mark the break with the former system, the Schengen House has changed its name. It is now called "European Visa Center" (CEV). A major reform that brought innovations in the sense of lightening the task for visa applicants for the Schengen area.
So that nobody knows the outlines, the Consul General of the Kingdom of Belgium, Hilde Van Inthoudt, has, during a conference lunch organized on June 19th at the Pullman Hotel in Kinshasa, provided useful information to the members of the Belgian-Congolese-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (CCBCL) on the theme "Operation of the European Visa Center and the new procedures for obtaining a Schengen visa".
Under the moderation of the Speaker of the House, Georges Mukuna, the speaker enlightened businessmen members of the chamber and other investors present at this briefing on the Schengen visa and the new facilities for obtaining it. Given the relevance of the theme, several personalities and guests of honor also took part in this meeting, including the senior staff of the Directorate General of Migration (DGM), the advisor to the Head of State in charge of the population, representatives of the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC), etc.
Services are free
To start with, the consul made a clarification: "The function of granting visa in the DRC is exclusively reserved for the CEV which is under my supervision". She recalled that all services are free for the current 26 countries, most of which (18 countries) are members of the European Union.
However, Hilde Van Inthoudt said, the visa is access to the border and not the authorization to enter a country. Then, she said that there are several types of visas, including the airport transit visa (example, a Congolese who travels to New York, transits through Belgium or France, needs a visa). But in her lecture, Ms Inthoudt dwelt on the C visa which is the Schengen visa. Step by step, she spoke about the functioning of the CEV, innovations and challenges as well as future prospects.
Among the novelties, she cited the appointment given in advance to the client to avoid long queues, visa on web, fast processing of files and the issuance of multiple entry visas (duration 1 or 2 years) ... As for the challenges to be met, it emerges, among other things, the recruitment, training, relocation of computing devices, waiting time, demand... In the same vein, the consul spoke about assessment instruments provided for in the bilateral agreement - based on the principle of reciprocity - signed between the DRC and Belgium, the first evaluation of which will take place next July.
To visa applicants, the Consul insists on meeting times because, to date, the CEV handles 160 files per day due to 11 minutes per request. A smaller delay may penalize those who come after. "Our ambition is to serve all visa applicants within a reasonable time," Ms. Inthoudt explained.
According to her, 15% of visa applications have been refused, usually for false documents, lack of resources...
(CKS/Yes)