From Monday 3 November 2008, all United Kingdom Visa applications in the Netherlands will be processed by the British Consulate General in Düsseldorf under a new “Hub and Spoke” arrangement. To implement these changes, the visa section in Amsterdam will be closed on Thursday and Friday 30 and 31 October. The online applications and appointments system will also be unavailable on those dates.

Under the new arrangement, applicants will continue to make their applications online (see below) and arrange an appointment at the British Consulate-General in Amsterdam to deposit the paper copy of their application form, passport, supporting documents, to pay the appropriate fee and to have their fingerscans taken. But as from 3 November, the Consulate in Amsterdam will forward applications to UK Entry Clearance Officers at the British Consulate General in Düsseldorf for a decision. Once a decision has been taken on whether a visa should be issued, the applicant's passport and documents will be returned to the British Consulate in Amsterdam for collection by, or return by registered post to, the applicant.

The expected processing time between an applicant submitting their application at the British Consulate General in Amsterdam and being able to collect their passport and documents will be between five and fifteen working days (from the date of the appointment in Amsterdam). If an applicant needs to be interviewed, arrangements will be made for them to return to the British Consulate General in Amsterdam. Interviews will be arranged as quickly as possible, but certainly within fifteen working days from the date of the appointment in Amsterdam. Please note that it is not (not) possible to make an appointment at the British Consulate in Düsseldorf. Applicants that are resident in The Netherlands continue to make their applications at the Consulate in Amsterdam.

Applicants are encouraged to make their applications well in advance of any planned journey to the United Kingdom. An application can be accepted up to three months in advance of the proposed date of travel.

Travellers who require a visa to enter the United Kingdom must submit all applications for visas for the United Kingdom via the internet using the visa4UK online application service. Applicants will at the same time need to pre-book an appointment at the Consulate in Amsterdam online to present their application. Please note that the officers at the Consulate in Amsterdam have no influence on the decision, or on the processing time.

There will be no changes to the way applications for Commonwealth or United Kingdom Dependent Territories are processed.

Statement from the British Consulate General in Amsterdam, 6 October 2008