A Nigerian who applied for a short stay visitor’s visa in Germany has been denied appointment at the German Consulate in Lagos due to naira notes scarcity.
In a chat with Daily Trust, the Nigerian, who doesn’t want name published, said the embassy wanted cash for the visa fee.
The victim said the visa fees was 80 Euro (over N38,000), adding that they insisted that the money must be collected in cash and in the new currency.
Narrating her ordeal, the vcitim said: “I tried to apply for a German Visa, and then I got an appointment online, but going through the application requirements, I saw that the German Embassy wants cash for the visa fee. The visa fee is 80 Euro, and then they put on their website that the money must be received in Nigerian cash and in the new currency, not just even the old one.
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“So, I tried calling the German Embassy to ask if they can accept non-cash payments because of the scarcity that we have right now, and I couldn’t get through to any of them. So, I found an email, then I sent a message through the contact information on the website. I got a reply later that evening, insisting that the money must be collected in Nigerian cash, that there was no POS and they wouldn’t accept bank transfers or anything and it had to be in cash.
“I was worried because my appointment is on March 1 and between now and then I don’t see how I can get any cash. I have contacted my account manager at GTBank, and everybody that I know included in my network, just to see how I can get 80 euros in cash and that hasn’t happened.
“The alternative for me is to cancel my appointment and try to rebook it. But anybody who knows the German Embassy knows that I wouldn’t get another appointment till after a month. I’m wondering why Nigerians are being treated in that way. I find that really disturbing.”
The German embassy had not responded to an email seeking its response as of the time of filing this report.
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