Summer is coming. The number of people wanting to travel is rising. That’s great, particularly for those of you travelling to the United Kingdom – we’re looking forward to seeing you.
The fact that there are lots of people travelling means that here in Istanbul we are processing more visas. To help ensure we provide the best possible service, the Home Office has a set of customer service standards, the most important of which is to complete 90% of routine visa applications in not more than three weeks.
The Home Office even goes one step further, and publishes information on how well each of its teams world-wide is doing in meeting those standards. You can find full data for Istanbul here (go to ‘guide to processing times’ and insert ‘Turkey, Istanbul’). This shows that for March 2013 for routine visas between 99% and 100% of all visas were issued within 15 days; over 96% within ten days; and 32% issued within five days.
Our team makes a big effort to process all visa applications – more than 100,000 a year in Istanbul, of which over 90% are successful – as quickly as possible; and during less busy times of the year we are able to process most visas well within the targets. But as the number of travellers rises in summer our resources are stretched.
What this means for you, if you need a visa to travel to the UK for a visit, is that at all times of year, but especially in the busy summer months, you should if possible start the visa application process at least three weeks before you are due to travel.
But you also need to factor in allowing time to make an appointment at one of our visa application centres – appointments are open up to four weeks in advance and you should not have to wait more than 5 working days for an appointment. I know that sounds a long way ahead, but it’s the best way to minimise the risk of disappointment.
You may if you wish apply up to three months ahead of your intended travel date and also may want to think about applying for a visa that lasts for a longer period (you can apply for 1, 2, 5 and 10 year visas).
Of course not everyone can apply three weeks in advance. If you’re in a hurry and are travelling for business, there is a priority service available. For TL200, this allows you to have your visa application placed at the front of the queue.
Issuing visas is difficult stuff. No-one likes applying for visas – I don’t myself – and delays or refusals can understandably leave would-be travellers feeling rejected and upset.
Our hard-working visa staff in Istanbul are constantly striving to provide the best possible service and I am proud of the work they do. Do help us – and help yourself – by making sure you apply in good time and, if you are in a hurry, use the priority service.