Visa application help: compare offers from consultants and agencies
What exactly are you ordering: advice or the whole process
Many people think a visa agency is paid for the visa. In fact you pay for a service: advice, preparing the set of documents, booking an appointment, translations, insurance, support. The visa itself is decided by the consulate, and no agency can guarantee the result. So in the offers, look for an explanation of what the provider actually does, not promises.
Apart from agencies, there are consultants who help only with what you need: checking documents, filling in the form, booking the appointment. For simple cases that may be enough.
How it works on BlaBlaPrice
You create one request: the country, the visa type, how many people. You can add one photo, for example of an old visa. The request is checked before it is shown, and you are told which details the providers are missing. Don't write passport details or numbers in the text: contacts and personal matters are discussed only in the chat with the provider you choose.
Consultants reply in the chat: what the service includes, the price or what it depends on, the timing. They see where they rank among the others, so they often improve their terms. The best-value offer is shown first, with reviews alongside. You open your phone number only for the one you choose. The details are on the “How it works” page.
What to put in your request
- Country — where you need the visa.
- Visa type — tourist, work, student, business, family reunion.
- Validity — single entry or multiple entry, and for what period.
- Number of applicants — adults and children.
- Citizenship — the requirements depend on it.
- Visa history — previous visas and whether you were ever refused.
- Scope of services — advice, documents, appointment, insurance, translations.
- The date by which you need the visa, the city of application and your budget.
Example: “I need a work visa for Germany for a citizen of Hong Kong, one person, I have had Schengen visas before and was never refused. I need an appointment booked and the document set checked. Preferably by 15 May, applying in Central. Budget up to HK$1,400.”
How to compare offers
Find out whether the price includes the consular and service fees: they are paid separately and do not go to the provider. Ask what happens if the visa is refused: some return part of the service fee, others don't, and you need to know that before you start. Ask who exactly submits the documents and what the provider does and what is left to you.
Warning signs: a guaranteed visa, ready-made “confirmations” without documents, a demand for full payment in advance from an unknown person, a request to provide fake certificates. Forged documents can lead to a refusal and serious consequences.
Preparation that lowers the risk of refusal
Count the time: the appointment and the processing take different lengths of time depending on the country, so don't buy tickets before you have the visa if you aren't sure. Collect genuine documents, keep copies and read the consulate's official requirements. For complex cases (work, study, family reunion) it is better to consult a lawyer who specialises in immigration law.
Once you have the visa, think about the trip: tours and excursions, and for children children's camps. Everything is in the “Travel & immigration” section.
