Express visa services introduced for UK applicants

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Angola has introduced express services for Ordinary and Short-Term Visa applicants in the United Kingdom.

What does the change mean? U.K. applicants have more options for expedited visa services.

• Implementation timeframe: Immediate.
• Visas/permits affected: Ordinary and Short-Term Visas.
• Who is affected: Applicants in the U.K.
• Impact on processing times: For an additional government processing fee, applicants may obtain eight-day service for Ordinary Visas and five-day or same-day services for Short-Term Visas.
• Business impact: The options provide more flexibility for business travelers seeking faster service and same-day service where they are able to demonstrate urgency.
• Next steps: Applicants may use the express services now.

Background: The normal visa processing time for Ordinary Visas is 15 days and the government fee is £100 (about US$152). Under express services, Ordinary Visas will be processed in eight working days (not including the day it is submitted) for a government fee of £200. For example, an application lodged on a Monday will be ready the Thursday of the following week.

The normal visa processing time for Short-Term Visas is eight working days and the government processing fee is £130 (about US$197). A same-day service is also available to applicants for Short-Term Visas for a government fee of £325 (about US$494), but applicants must appear at the Angolan Embassy in the morning and demonstrate compelling reasons for their same-day request. The embassy will decide at its discretion whether to process it on the same day.

BAL Analysis: The express service options are a positive development for U.K. companies who need to move foreign national employees into Angola quickly. The Angolan Embassy in the U.K. has indicated that it is recruiting staff and hopes to further speed up processing times.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in the United Kingdom. For additional information, please contact uk@bal.com.

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