Visa Refund Denied After Appointment Cancellation

Reviewed on: 2026-05-30.

RTI is useful when a public authority holds the record behind visa refund denied after appointment cancellation. Ask for information, not action. Good RTI points are: current status of file, date-wise movement, copies of deficiency notes, inspection reports, payment release note, dispatch record, rule relied upon, name and designation of the office holding the file, and copies of correspondence between offices. Do not ask the PIO to “solve my grievance” or “punish the officer”. RTI cannot force a private company to refund money unless the record is held by a public authority, but it can expose government-side delay, missing file movement or reasons.

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1. Step 1: Can you get a visa refund after appointment cancellation? (a) Visa refund: (i) visa application fee — non-refundable generally, (ii) refund scenarios: (A) embassy cancels appointment, (B) duplicate payment, (C) service provider error, (iii) VFS/embassy refund policy: varies by country, (b) scenarios: (i) applicant cancels — usually no refund, (ii) embassy cancels — full refund, (iii) duplicate payment — refund of duplicate, (iv) VFS error — refund, © rights: (i) consumer rights — deficiency of service, (ii) RTI: Indian embassy refund policy, (d) authority: Embassy + VFS Global + consumer court, (e) law: Consumer Protection Act 2019 + embassy policies.
2. Step 2: Comparison table — visa refund scenarios. (a) Embassy cancels: (i) issue: embassy cancels appointment, (ii) refund: full — visa + VFS fee, (iii) timeline: 30-90 days, (iv) escalation: embassy + consumer court, (v) example: embassy cancelled appointment; refund processed in 60 days, (b) Applicant cancels: (i) issue: applicant cancels, (ii) refund: usually no refund, (iii) timeline: N/A, (iv) escalation: consumer court if deficiency, (v) example: applicant cancelled; no refund; accepted, © Duplicate payment: (i) issue: paid twice, (ii) refund: duplicate amount, (iii) timeline: 30-60 days, (iv) escalation: VFS + embassy, (v) example: paid twice due to error; duplicate refunded in 45 days, (d) VFS error: (i) issue: VFS system error, (ii) refund: full, (iii) timeline: 30-60 days, (iv) escalation: VFS + consumer court, (v) example: VFS system error; refund processed in 30 days, (e) Refund denied: (i) issue: refund denied despite valid case, (ii) remedy: consumer complaint, (iii) timeline: 30-90 days, (iv) escalation: consumer court, (v) example: embassy cancelled but refund denied; filed consumer complaint; refund ordered. (Note: Visa fee is usually non-refundable — but embassy/VFS error entitles refund.)
3. Step 3: How to claim visa refund. (a) Step 1: Check embassy/VFS refund policy, (b) Step 2: Submit refund request with proof, © Step 3: If denied — write to embassy, (d) Step 4: File consumer complaint — deficiency of service, (e) Step 5: File RTI with Indian embassy for refund policy, (f) Step 6: Escalate to MEA if Indian embassy.
4. Step 5: Practical tips. (a) check refund policy before applying, (b) embassy cancellation: full refund, © VFS error: demand refund, (d) consumer court: if refund denied, (e) Example: An applicant's visa appointment was cancelled by embassy; refund denied; filed consumer complaint; court ordered refund + Rs 5,000 compensation.
5. Step 6: Key provisions. (a) Consumer Protection Act 2019: deficiency of service, (b) embassy refund policy: country-specific, © VFS Global: service provider, (d) RTI: Indian embassy refund policy, (e) MEA: escalation for Indian embassies.

See Visa Refund and How to File RTI and First Appeal and DND Complaint and Home Loan.