Why Online Visa Appointment Booking Was Stopped In Nigeria — Czech Diplomat

The Embassy of Czech Republic in Abuja has taken a decisive step to permanently halt its online visa appointment booking system, citing the influx of Nigerian applicants attempting to obtain Schengen visas for illegal migration to European Union countries as the primary reason.

Tomáš Vyprachticky, head of the consular and visa section at the Czech Embassy, expressed concerns regarding the misuse of the visa system. This decision surfaced following a complaint from a Nigerian, Charles Chidiebere, who encountered difficulties while trying to secure a visa appointment for his mother’s visit to the Czech Republic. Chidiebere raised concerns about the accessibility of the provided contact number for visa appointments.

In a series of email exchanges between Chidiebere and the embassy, which the Nigerian shared on X, Vyprachticky defended the embassy’s policy, stating, “The need to employ the ‘rather archaic’ booking system…derives from the very specific situation in Nigeria.” He highlighted the vulnerability of an advanced online booking system to hacking and manipulation by speculators, necessitating the use of a simpler, albeit less vulnerable, method.

He wrote, “With all due respect, you are not in a position to question or judge visa policy of another sovereign country, including the visa appointment booking system of its embassy.

“The need to employ the “rather archaic” booking system, actually the simplest possible, derives from the very specific situation in Nigeria, as this is the only mechanism that can secure equal treatment of all applicants for visas (advanced online booking system had to be dropped two years ago since it was vulnerable to hacking and blocking by speculators). At the same time, there is a limited number of applications for visas that the embassy can process every month.”

Addressing Chidiebere’s criticisms, in a second email, Vyprachticky first warned the complainant not to address him by his first name because “they do not know each other and are not on first-name terms”, asserted that the root cause of the problem lies in the substantial volume of fraudulent Nigerian visa applicants attempting to exploit the system for illegal immigration purposes. He emphasized that the abrupt suspension of the online visa appointment system aimed to curb the activities of scammers and speculators.

Vyprachticky wrote “The root cause of this problem is not in our booking system but in the huge number of bogus Nigerian visa applicants who try to get Schengen visas for their illegal migration to the EU.

However, Vyprachticky’s tone in the emails received significant criticism from Nigerian users, with one individual on X, @Morris_Monye, describing the consul’s communication as “rude” and lacking respect for Nigerians.

“The man was so rude. No single respect for Nigerians. Not a single respect”, he wrote.

Another user, @OdereMary, echoed similar sentiments, expressing disbelief at the tone used by Vyprachticky in the exchange.

@OdereMary wrote “I can’t believe his tone! Sigh.”