Specialist website Italy Visa Alerts published a 24 September explainer clarifying the division of responsibilities between VFS Global and the Italian consulate in Dubai. The article stresses that VFS merely provides the appointment slot and biometric collection, while visa decisions remain exclusively with consular officers. It outlines best practices for booking: applicants should pre-select the correct visa type, keep passport data at hand, and finalise the slot on VFS’s official site as soon as an alert arrives. The guidance follows a surge in appointment-scalping complaints in the Gulf, with some users paying third parties up to €300 for peak-season slots. For corporates relocating staff from the UAE to Italy, the key takeaway is that paying unofficial intermediaries does not influence processing times or outcomes. Instead, HR teams should monitor VFS availability directly or subscribe to automated alerts, ensuring that assignment start dates align with the 15-day minimum processing window for Schengen business visas. The article also reminds employers that UAE applicants must show at least three months’ residence validity in the Emirates—a detail often overlooked in short-notice deployments.
Source: Italy Visa Alerts
