Germany: New Visa Application Process for Certain North Macedonian Applicants
August 29, 2023
From August 28, 2023, the German Embassy in North Macedonia commenced using the visa service provider Visametric to process “Western Balkans Regulation” visa applications. Applications under this quota-limited program – which allows eligible Northern Macedonian nationals (among other nationalities) to access temporary work visas in Germany – must now be submitted to Visametric, and are now subject to an additional fee of EUR 37.50 in addition to the existing visa fee of EUR 75. Despite Visametric now processing the applications, the Embassy retains the exclusive power to assess and determine such visa requests. Applicants still need to attend a visa appointment with the Embassy, and such appointments continue to be allocated via a lottery system. All other visa types (including family reunification, skilled immigration or tourism) still need to be submitted directly to the Embassy. This change seeks to simplify application procedures.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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