The German Embassy in Nairobi has announced changes in the application of four categories of visas for Kenyans.
According to the Embassy, visa applications for vocational training, study visas, measures regarding foreign qualifications and research and science will be outsourced from the TLS Contact.
TLS Contact is a service that manages visa and consular services for government clients around the world. The service provides the administrative aspects of the visa process via a global network of Visa Application Centres.
Applicants for these visa categories will be required to submit their applications to the TLS Service rather than the German Embassy in Nairobi.
This new application system takes effect on June 3, 2024.
“The receipt of national visa applications in the categories of vocational training, studies, the measures regarding the recognition of foreign professional qualifications, and research and science in accordance with Section 5 of the Ordinance on the Employment of Foreigners) of the German Residence Act will be outsourced to the external service provider TLScontact from 03.06.2024, read the notice in part.
Interested parties, will henceforth be required to book appointments on the TLScontact website.
A service fee of 28.50 Euros which equates to Ksh4,020 (based on the current exchange rate) will be charged per application.
The notice further explained that TLScontact offers for a fee, to make photocopies and biometric photos, send passports by courier and inform applicants via SMS when the passport is ready for collection.
The address of the Visa Application Center is as follows: 4th Floor, 9 West Building, Ring Road Parklands, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya.
Visa applications can be submitted to TLScontact between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) after booking an appointment in advance.
The changes fall on the backdrop of Kenya having negotiated a deal with the German government to facilitate job migration for Kenyans to the country.
On May 16, the government announced that the country was in agreement with the German government to create a framework for migration offering 250,000 job opportunities to Kenyans.
