Germany Keeps Visa Requirements Tight for World Cup
June 9, 2006
The federal interior ministry has been dealing with the logistical headaches of securing the World Cup from terrorists and hooligans as well as limiting an expected influx of sex workers and illegal immigrants hoping to set up in Germany under the cover of the World Cup.
While difficult to assess, the security threat is at least one which German authorities can tackle with initiatives and contingency plans. But the prospect of thousands of people flooding into the country with no intention of leaving after the tournament ends is less easy to deal with, although visa restrictions and increased border controls will at least strengthen the host nation's hand.
Germany is preparing to suspend the free travel arrangements it has with certain neighbors under the European Union's Schengen agreement and reimpose passport checks on the borders with Denmark, Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The threat of illegal immigrants entering Germany during the World Cup is a real one. More than 3 million visitors are expected to come to Germany for event but only 45,000 people from the 11 countries from where a visa is required have applied for the necessary entry documents. The foreign ministry is bracing for a rush on visa applications while the interior ministry is fearing a flood of visitors who do not have the required papers.
On top of that, there a further twenty countries, including Mexico, Costa Rica and Paraguay, which do not require visas.
Visa scams put Germany on high alert
The foreign ministry recently announced that it had uncovered a visa scam in one participating African country in which potential migrants were advised to throw away their passports on arrival and claim asylum. Officials in Tunisia also announced recently that they suspected many of those queuing for visas to Germany were not soccer fans but people desperate for a ticket to a job and a new life in Europe.
Such news has put Germany on high alert. The federal government has not loosened its visa requirements for non-EU and non-Western countries and as a result, fans of countries like Ukraine may face disappointment when trying to enter the country to watch the games unless they can fulfill the visa criteria.
German embassies around the world have issued warnings to foreign nationals intending to travel to the World Cup that having a ticket for the games will not guarantee them a visa or entry.
"May be turned back"
The announcements also advise fans that the best way of getting a visa is to have documents proving they have a job, travel health insurance and a return plane ticket. Visa applicants must also prove, in an interview, that they are on a short-term visit and have the funds to travel while in Germany.
"There will always be applicants, especially from poor countries, who want to come here and stay for economic reasons," a German foreign ministry spokesperson told DW-WORLD.DE. "It's a bigger problem at the moment with many coming and claiming to visit the World Cup."
"If they can't prove they can pay, they may be turned back," the spokesperson said.