"A further modernisation of the visa service offered to customers applying for visas at the British Embassy Budapest would take place on 30 June 2008.From 30 June 2008, all United Kingdom visa applications will be processed by the British Embassy in Warsaw under our new "Hub and Spoke" arrangement.
Applicants will continue to lodge their applications online and arrange an appointment at the British Embassy Budapest to deposit their paper copy of their application form, passport, supporting documents, to pay the appropriate fee and to have their fingerscans taken. From 30 June 2008, each applicant should present their application form, passport, original supporting documents with copies, along with English translations of all these papers.
Documents will then be forwarded to a new dedicated regional visa centre at the British Embassy in Warsaw, where the application will be processed and a decision taken. Please note that in order to keep costs to a minimum for our applicants, certified or "official" translations will not be required, but translations will be checked for accuracy by the British Embassy Budapest.
Once the decision has been taken on whether a visa should be issued, an applicant's passport and documents will be returned to the British Embassy Budapest for collection by the applicant. The passport and documents may be forwarded to the applicant by courier from the British Embassy Budapest, for an additional fee.
The expected processing time between an applicant depositing their form, passport and documents at the British Embassy Budapest and their passport and documents being ready again for them to collect from the British Embassy Budapest will be five working days in most cases. If an applicant needs to be interviewed, arrangements will be made for them to return to the British Embassy Budapest. Interviews will be arranged as quickly as possible, but certainly within 10 working days. Applicants will not be required to travel to Warsaw.
Applicants are encouraged to continue making 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. Applications may be made to the British Embassy Budapest by applicants of any nationality holding a current valid Hungarian residence permit. Applications can also be made directly to the British Embassy Warsaw.
The above changes to the processing of visa applications made at the British Embassy Budapest are part of a world-wide programme to meet ever-increasing demand for visas for the United Kingdom. The UK Border Agency, the organisation responsible for maintaining the British Government's Entry Clearance (visa) operation outside the United Kingdom, is committed to looking at more efficient ways of working to keep visa fees down without compromising decision quality.
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 at www.visa4UK.fco.gov.uk. Applicants will at the same time need to pre-book an appointment online to present their application. The Embassy in Budapest no longer accepts callers who have not pre-booked an appointment.
There will be no changes to the way applications for Commonwealth or United Kingdom Dependant Territories are processed."
Source: British Embassy Budapest
29.04.2008