According to the new procedure, applicants will receive another email from VisaMetric after the lottery procedure and receiving a notification from the embassy. This email will contain a link that redirects to another page to book an individual appointment as fixed terms will no longer be available, according to EU Helpers.

In the future, requests will only be made to our external service provider VisaMetrik, not the Embassy, according to the press release.

Since more than 20% of the appointments are now left empty each month, this move will benefit all applicants, especially those who truly desire and are qualified to make a request to book an appointment for submitting a request. The new strategy will also aid in shortening the drawn-out wait periods.

The option for applicants to select additional services that require payment, such as on-site passport photography, document duplication, and other formalities, will be available.

In addition to the €75 visa price, applicants will also be charged a further €37.5 for the VisaMetic services. After making an online appointment, this fee should be paid by bank transfer or remittance in denars (Macedonian currency).

However, the Ambassador made sure to note in her press release that the Embassy would still be the only site where visa requests were processed and decisions were made.

The same holds true for the monthly appointment waiting lists and the lottery system used to choose applicants at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Berlin headquarters. The duties of the external service provider VisaMetric DOOEL were restricted by an Embassy directive, leaving them limited to just accepting requests and returning passports.

Although Macedonians see the Embassy's collaboration with VisaMetric as the service provider favorably, Kosovo, a neighboring nation, has expressed concerns about the support visa application service provider.

Kosovo's Market Inspectorate has concluded that customer complaints that VisaMetric is abusing the system and isn't providing services and payments in a timely manner are true after conducting an inquiry.

The statement from the Market Inspectorate reads, "The Market Inspectorate at MINT has reviewed all complaints from consumers, has inspected the Economic Operator "VisaMetric" LLC in Prishtina, and has addressed all complaints received, ruling in favor of consumers."

Filling out the visa application form, providing two passport images, the applicant's passport, and a declaration are just a few of the steps involved in applying for a Schengen visa.

In addition, applicants for visas must provide evidence of having a place to stay in Germany, confirmation that they have obtained travel insurance, a roundtrip flight schedule, evidence of having sufficient financial resources, and documentation of their civil status, among other things.