If you’re applying for a visa for Germany or Belgium as a South African, chances are you’ll end up here.
The adventure begins in the parking lot — small, cramped, and not designed for anything larger than a jelly tot. If traffic is hectic up the road, your ordeal may begin even earlier.
Once you finally squeeze into a parking spot, you’ll need to complete a sign-in form and press a button at a podium marked “TLS,” which rings the folks upstairs. It took two buzzes from me before anyone responded.
Up on the second floor, you go through security, staffed (thankfully) by the cheeriest person in the building. Although the receptionist was much like Goldilocks’ porridge: not too hot, not too cold.
Inside the processing area, it’s a coin toss whether your experience will be smooth or frustrating. Having all your paperwork in perfect order is essential; any small deviation seems to annoy the staff more than it troubles you. Despite having done this multiple times, the person handling my application was visibly displeased with the inconvenience (which I apologised for) and even warned I wouldn’t get my visa. That seemed more like a dig at my confidence than anything else considering I’ve gone through this process multiple times before.The rest of the staff were efficient and friendlier, from the lady at the cashier to the gent handling biometrics. Still, the overall experience was far from great.
Find it on Google or visit their website here.
