Swiss visa appointments for applicants in the UK have been cancelled due to an ongoing “IT incident” at TLScontact, the Swiss government’s chosen IT provider for facilitating visa applicants for citizens of third countries. TLScontact is responsible for processing visa applications and scheduling biometric appointments for citizens of countries that require a visa to travel to Europe, including Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Germany, which are all part of the Schengen area.
The IT incident has affected the transfer of customers’ biometric data to the Swiss government servers, causing technical difficulties in the visa application process. However, TLScontact has clarified that the incident is not a result of a ransomware attack, and no customer or employee data has been compromised.
As a result of the IT issues, all Swiss visa appointments at TLScontact centers in London, Manchester, and Edinburgh have been cancelled for this week. The affected applicants have been notified, and their appointments have been rescheduled for the following week.
This incident has raised concerns about the security and functionality of IT systems at external visa processing agencies like TLScontact. These agencies handle highly sensitive information, including personal and biometric data, as well as travel history and legal documents, making it crucial for their systems to be secure against cyberattacks.
The cancellation of visa appointments has left many applicants struggling, especially during the busy travel season. Obtaining a Schengen visa appointment, even without IT issues, has been challenging in recent years, particularly for popular tourist destinations like Spain, France, and Portugal. Applicants often wait for months to secure an appointment and are required to book flight and hotel reservations in advance.
The large-scale cancellation by TLScontact is likely to cause disruptions and frustrations for Swiss visa applicants who now have to reschedule or potentially forego their travel plans. The Swiss Embassy in London has acknowledged the technical problems and is working with TLScontact to resolve the issues as soon as possible to accommodate all affected applicants.