Visagov Review: Travel Visa Services

Visagov, a Barcelona-based company, helps travelers apply for visas. Though funded by the European Union with a mission to simplify international travel, their strong focus on European customers means US travelers may be better served by alternative travel visa services.

Out-of-date info for Australian and Brazilian visas

Visagov's handling of major destinations is concerning. They're accepting visa applications for Australia even though these must be submitted directly to the Australian government without third-party intermediation. For Brazil, they falsely claim travel visa applications aren't available online, when other services are processing them just fine. When we went to their linked blog post about Brazil's visa requirements, the information was a year out of date. Need a Chinese tourist visa? Visagov doesn't even list them as an option.

Visagov can explain ETIAS to you...

Are you an American looking to travel to Europe? Visagov's "Europe" page explains that as of 2024, American citizens and other non-EU travelers need to obtain an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) before visiting some Schengen zone countries. This is not a visa but rather a travel authorization that costs €7 (around $8), is valid for up to three years or until passport expiration, and requires filling out an online form with personal details and travel history. While most applications are processed within minutes, some may take up to 96 hours, so it's recommended to apply well in advance.

...but can't help you get one

However, some of Visagov's ETIAS info is not up to date (shocker). Their page states that ETIAS will be in full force in 2024, when the implementation has actually been delayed several times - at the time of this review, it was postponed until Q4 of 2026. There's also no button or link to process applications through Visagov; it's simply an information page with outdated content. One has to wonder why they can't simply hire someone to stay current with travel visa news and keep their website up to date.

Service fees for other countries seem reasonable

Among our three test cases, we weren't able to find one country for which Visagov could (or should) help us to obtain a travel visa. So, let's look at some other places just to get an idea of what their service fees are. If you're traveling to Thailand as a tourist, Visagov only charges $33 USD in service fees. (Keep in mind there's an additional $52 you'll need to pay in government fees.) While there seemed to be more "currently unavailable" countries in their list than not, every available country we found charged that same $33 fee. That seems pretty reasonable to us - if you can expect to receive your travel visa on time.

Reviews are mixed

Visagov has nearly 800 reviews on their verified Trustpilot profile (as a Spain-based business, they do not have a BBB listing). Of these reviews, 68% are 5-star ratings, with customers praising swift processing times for destinations like Egypt, Puerto Rico, and Laos. However, a concerning 16% are 1-star reviews reporting serious issues with visas for Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Australia, and UAE- either visas never arrived or were rejected upon arrival. Many frustrated customers ended up turning to competing services at the last minute, who processed their visas within 2 days, while Visagov refused to provide refunds.

Get in touch via email or live chat

Should something like what those disgruntled reviewers report happen to you, what can you expect from their customer service department? While they advertise "24/7 visa and travel assistance in case something goes wrong or you have any questions", their "Contact us" page leads to a simple email form. However, you can find a live chat option at the bottom right corner of their website. Since they don't provide a typical response time for email inquiries, we'd recommend using the live chat.

Limited refund policy with fine print

What about refunds? If your visa application is denied by government authorities, you'll only receive a refund of the government fees - not Visagov's processing and handling fees. For other refund requests on processed orders, you'll need to email support@visagov.com for case-by-case consideration. They promise a response within 72 hours.

No cancellations once processing begins

Due to what Visagov calls the "urgent and personalised nature" of visa requests, they begin processing within 24 hours of your order. Once this happens, you lose any right to withdrawal or cancellation. The contract becomes binding as soon as you receive their acceptance email. While they say they'll "consider" refund requests, their policy makes it clear that they're not obligated to provide them.

No reason to use them over competitors

There's not much here to recommend Visagov. Based on what we read from their past customers, their service is unreliable and often frustrating. Many countries aren't listed on their site, and when they are, the information might be inaccurate or the application might not be included through Visagov. Save yourself time and money by using one of their rival travel visa services instead.

On the Visagov website