Terms and Conditions

The following terms and conditions are the legal basis for visa procurement by 1a Visa Consulting Limited. They are acknowledged by the customer upon placing an order.

1. Limitations of Service
We only submit visa applications when we have all the necessary documents in full. The processing times guaranteed in the application documents refer to the period between the submission of the application and the return of the visa-stamped passports. In this context, only business days (Mon. to Fri.) are counted as processing time, on which the respective visa office is also open (i.e., not closed due to holidays). It is also noted that the processing speed can occasionally be delayed by factors within the jurisdiction of the foreign visa offices, e.g., because documents are requested, interview dates are scheduled, or additional checks are initiated. 1a Visa Consulting Limited cannot be held liable for such delays. The decision to grant a visa lies solely with the foreign consulates. Therefore, 1a Visa Consulting Limited cannot guarantee that all applicants' requests will be met. Unless otherwise instructed, we are authorized to perform our service in the best interest of the client at our reasonable discretion. Visa type, visa validity, and the number of permitted entries may thus differ from the client's order in individual cases. This may particularly be the case if the client clearly needs their visa very quickly (e.g., because they have commissioned processing as "SameDay", "Express" or "Expedited" or have indicated a very soon departure date in their documents), but we cannot reach them immediately. If the visa is not granted by the embassy at all or not according to the applicant's wishes, this does not justify a claim for a reduction in fees or a refund.

2. Liability
1a Visa Consulting Limited provides its services with the care of a prudent businessman. The handover of passports is always against receipt, and the shipping can thus be tracked online by the delivery companies. However, we cannot assume liability for the services of the embassy or the delivery services we commission. This also applies to the loss or damage of documents if this occurs at the embassy (or visa office/consulate) or during transportation. The client must immediately check the delivery upon receipt for completeness and compliance with the ordered service and invoice and must report any obvious defects in writing within 7 days of receiving the documents. Claims against us expire within 6 months from the date of delivery. If passports are lost under our responsibility, our liability is limited to the costs of replacement. Financial losses resulting from the loss are not reimbursed. Any claims against third parties arising from the destruction, damage, or delayed delivery of documents to the client are assigned by us to the client. We are liable for damages resulting from the culpable violation of life, body, or health within the scope of legal provisions. For damages to clients' other legal rights caused by 1a Visa Consulting Limited during the execution of the order, 1a Visa Consulting Limited is only liable if intentional or gross negligence can be attributed to 1a Visa Consulting Limited. Liability in these cases is limited to the typically expected maximum amount of damage in this area, which is €1,000.

Our offer contains links to external websites of third parties, over whose content we have no control. Therefore, we cannot assume any liability for these external contents. The respective provider or operator of the pages is always responsible for the content of the linked pages.

The Chinese government has temporarily suspended the visa requirement for short stays of up to 15 days from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024. Citizens of Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia do not need a visa for tourist and business purposes, as well as for transit and visiting friends and relatives. For all other nationalities and travel purposes, as well as stays over 15 days, a visa must still be applied for. The relevant duration of stay is determined by the maximum duration of stay specified in the visa application form at each entry (item 2.3B). Other specified or implied stay periods, such as through hotel or flight bookings, cannot be considered, even if they would result from a stay of under 16 days. This is in the interest of the client, to not jeopardize the travel planning, as, for example, longer stays may be planned independent of booking documents, which are not explicitly listed in the further documents.

3. Communication
Communication between the contractor and the client is primarily conducted electronically. The client is obligated to regularly check their emails and the associated spam folder for incoming messages until they receive their visa after sending their application documents to our company. Disadvantages that arise for the client due to unread, unnoticed, or unread-deleted emails are at their own risk.

4. Cancellation of Order
Order cancellation must be done in writing via email. We will then bill you for the costs incurred up to that point as well as our cancellation fees of £50. There is no entitlement to a refund of costs for the application of electronic visas.

5. Payment Arrears
The return of passports with a visa to the client always occurs after payment has been received. Exceptions are occasionally made for regular clients and in particularly urgent cases. If payment in such cases does not occur promptly after the return of the passport, the client is reminded of their payment arrears by email. If our claim is not settled within the following ten business days, we send a reminder with a deadline by mail (registered post), for which a reminder fee of £20 is charged. If the registered letter containing the reminder cannot be delivered or the payment deadline is not met, we hand over the matter to our lawyers, the court, or the police. This frequently results in significant additional costs for the client.

6. Revocation of Your Order
If you are a consumer in UK, you may have a legal right to cancel an order or contract according to the regulations on consumer contracts within a cooling-off period of 30 working days. This means that if a consumer changes their mind during the respective period or for any other reason decides not to stick to an order, they can communicate this cancellation decision to the supplier and receive a refund. A consumer is allowed to communicate the cancellation in any written format to 1a Visa Consulting Limited. However, due to the urgency of orders submitted to 1a Visa Consulting Limited and to include a safety margin to avoid potential serious consequences in case of delays, 1a Visa Consulting Limited starts providing the services upon payment release and/or receipt of complete documents, whereby this point may occur before the expiry of the statutory cooling-off period. This handling is explicitly approved and accepted by the consumer. Therefore, it may happen that the consumer does not benefit from the entire cooling-off period for orders to 1a Visa Consulting Limited and may be partially or fully liable for services provided by 1a Visa Consulting Limited before 1a Visa Consulting Limited receives the consumer's revocation declaration. Furthermore, visas are prepared according to the consumer's own instructions, and therefore the cooling-off period and the right of revocation may not apply.

7. Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction is London.