The Dutch Ambassador to Ghana, Jeroen Verheul, has revealed that the Netherlands processes the highest number of Schengen visa applications in Ghana, handling over 15,000 applications annually.
This makes the Dutch Embassy the busiest among Schengen partners in Ghana, with other embassies processing between 5,000 and 10,000 applications yearly.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, February 26, Ambassador Verheul emphasized the role of the Netherlands in facilitating travel for Ghanaians within the Schengen area.
“We get about 15,000, more than 15,000 visa applications per year that we process at this embassy. The Netherlands is one of the Schengen partners, and of all the Schengen partners in Ghana, the Netherlands is the biggest embassy. We get the most, the highest number of applications,” he revealed.
The ambassador also explained that, like most Schengen partners, visa applications for the Netherlands are not processed directly at the embassy but through VFS Global, a third-party service provider.
“If you go for applying for a visa for the Netherlands, you don’t come to the embassy, but you go to VFS, which is an office that services these kinds of embassies to process visas,” he stated.
His comments come amid concerns from Ghana’s Foreign Ministry regarding alleged inhumane treatment of visa applicants by some embassies and third-party service providers.
However, Ambassador Verheul said he did not recognize such complaints and defended the process at VFS.
“I don’t recognise these complaints because if you go to VFS, and I’ve been there a number of times, then I see a perfectly qualitatively good reception area where people are treated respectfully, and they don’t have to wait outside. They can wait inside,” he said.
The Dutch diplomat urged individuals with grievances about visa processing to directly engage the embassy for redress rather than making generalized accusations.
“If there are any specific complaints, whether it is about Schengen visa VFS or the Netherlands, then it would be good to address them specifically to us so that we can deal with them and improve our service delivery,” he advised.
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