French visa application process outsourced

By Joey Aguilar/Staff ReporterThe French embassy has “externalised” its visa application to Capago-MENA company in a bid to further improve its services and provide more comfort to the increasing number of Qataris and other residents who want to visit France.French Ambassador Jean-Christophe Peaucelle said they decided to outsource the process of application citing a significant increase in the number of Qataris and expatriates applying for  French visas every year.He disclosed that they recorded more than 16,000 applicants in the first nine months of this year, higher than the 15,000 applicants for the whole 2012.Peaucelle estimates that half of the applicants this year were Qataris while the remaining half were different nationalities living in Qatar.“In the last two or three years, we had very big increase of visa applications to France which is very good news for us,” said the ambassador.However, he reiterated that the decision to externalise their visa application will not change any of the Schengen regulations and laws, especially the fees.  The price of the visa will remain at Euros 60 (common Schengen regulation) but extra charges will be imposed for the new service: Euros 25 for the normal service and Euros 50 for the VIP track. Capago-MENA company, the external operator of the visa application, will be in charge of preparing the decision. “But the decision as always, will be taken by the embassy itself because it is a sovereign decision which depends on the sovereignty of the state,” said the ambassador.The Capago-MENA office is located at Al Jaidah Square Business Centre, 2nd floor, 63 Airport Road, Umm Ghuwailina Zone 27 and it will open on December 11. It is easier to find and accessible, the new facility is four to five times bigger than the visa section at the French embassy, according to Peaucelle. It also has at least four times the number of counters (from three at the embassy), a number of rooms for biometrics and its waiting section has 52 available seats excluding the VIP area. Applicants will have to visit the website of the French embassy to get a link from the Capago MENA which provides all the needed information such as requirements and what kind of visa they are applying for: short staying, long staying, tourism, business, and etc. Peaucelle said the waiting period for its approval normally takes about five days especially for Qatari applicants but in some emergency cases, it will only take about 48 hours. He noted that about 98% of applications were short staying visas while only 2% were long staying visas, comprising mostly of students.The embassy also considers the expiry of the passport in giving long duration for short staying applications. Obviously it cannot give four years to persons who only have less than a year before the expiry of their passports.“This is also an opportunity for me to tell people that they are welcome. France is a country with open borders, open mind, open heart, and it is a privilege for us to welcome visitors from any other country,” he said.Peaucelle also disclosed that business relations between Qatar and France have become stronger, which can be attributed to the various infrastructure projects in the country and Qatari investors visiting France. “I hope the trend will go on and companies will get more contracts.” He announced that they are also offering various scholarships to Qataris students: many have been interested to study the French language. Like France, some Shengen countries have also decided to outsource  their visa application, said the ambassador.  About choosing Capago-MENA, he stressed that they received and screened eight proposals from different companies. A commission tasked to review and evaluate the proposals had chosen the ISO-certified company based on some criteria like its track record and the quality of its proposal.