TERMS & CONDITIONS:
VISA SERVICES
PARTIES AND SCOPE
These are the terms and conditions (“Terms”) that govern the relationship between you, our client (referred to as “you” in these terms) and Vanguard Business Solutions (referred to as “Vanguard” in these terms), Tax ID 20-1306871 of 8200 Greensboro Drive, STE 900 McLean, VA 22102 (“Vanguard”) for provision of service by Vanguard. If you are a consumer within the meaning of any local or federal law (“Consumer”), then additional rights may be available to you and will be specified in this document. If you are not a Consumer, you hereby confirm that you have the authority to bind any business on whose behalf you seek to purchase services as a consumer. Other general terms and conditions do not apply and do not form part of the contract between us, even if we do not explicitly reject them. These Terms are subject to change without prior notice, except that the Terms in force at the time you place or modify an order will govern the order in question.
The primary services provided by Vanguard are to help you in obtaining travel visas and other travel documentation. Vanguard describes documents and forms the Consumer generally needs to provide to achieve these aims and then submit these documents and forms duly completed by the Consumer, to the authorities or appropriate bodies. For the avoidance of doubt, if Vanguard provides services to the Customer, the Consumer is our client and these Terms and Conditions are bound to apply. If Vanguard refers you to any other service provider, the Consumer takes responsibility for reviewing any services provided and that service provider’s terms and conditions will apply for their services. We do not accept any liability for third party services and these Terms will not apply to those third party services.
These Terms apply to any offer and any agreement between you and Vanguard and to the provision of any service provided to you by or on behalf of Vanguard in respect of, but not limited to, the processing of visas, passports and/or documents for you or on your behalf. Some Terms may refer to an issuing authority, which is the body being an embassy, consulate or other agency that issue or supplies the documents requested by the Consumer.
PROCEDURE
Vanguard will endeavor to provide the Consumer with accurate information and to ensure that the Consumer obtains the visa in a timely manner. Nevertheless, all requirements to obtain the visa (including, but not limited to, documentation, fees and time frames) are calculated based on general criteria and can vary according to information provided by the Consumer (including, but not limited to, current or previous nationality, residence, gender, age, profession, recent travel and religion) and the issuing body. Each country's requirements for passports and visas and related information are established by sovereign nations and are subject to change without notice. While Vanguard strives to provide current and complete information, Vanguard cannot and does not guarantee that the information supplied is the most current and complete. Vanguard is not and shall not be responsible for such information.
SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS
Vanguard will only process the visa(s) indicated in your request; Vanguard assumes no responsibility for other visas required for your trip that have not been requested or which relate to stops on your trip unless otherwise included in the order
Vanguard reserves the right to decline to processing of the documents for any reason, including but not limited to incomplete documentation, insufficient processing time, and degree of difficulty in procuring documents due to the purpose of travel.
OBTAINING THE VISA
When Vanguard returns your passport and documents to the consumer, it is the sole responsibility of the consumer to confirm that all of the visa(s) required for the duration of the travel have been obtained, that the visas for each country you intend to visit are valid for the dates of arrival and departure from the country/region of your visit and for the purpose and nature of your visit (including, but not limited to, tourism, business, and/or study). You must notify Vanguard immediately by email if you identify any discrepancy in your documentation. The issue of a visa depends exclusively on the issuing authority. Immigration officials in each country have the final decision to admit entry into the country or region, even when all of the stipulated requirements have been met. Vanguard does not guarantee that the issuing authority will issue the visa in a timely manner and within the specified time frame; therefore, Vanguard fees will be collected for the completion of procedures required for this issue.
DELIVERY
Vanguard will send completed applications as determined by Vanguard by email or courier unless otherwise instructed. A delivery charge will be added to your order. All third party delivery companies are subject to the conditions set by these individual companies. Vanguard accepts no liability for loss or delays incurred when using third party delivery companies.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Vanguard may offer to provide additional services in some jurisdictions upon request from the consumer. If so provided, the description and relevant terms for those additional services are incorporated into these Terms.
FEES
The fees for Vanguard services shall be those specified on the invoice, including any indirect taxes, if applicable, that are applicable to the fees, and other charges and fees charged by an issuing authority or any courier or delivery service, all of which must be paid by the consumer. Once Vanguard submits a travel document request to an issuing authority on behalf of the consumer , Vanguard service fees are non-refundable. Vanguard will secure a passport reservation for every passport submission and provide all details to the consumer regarding the date of the passport reservation, where to send application materials and what needs to be sent. If a traveler either (i) does not appear for a passport reservation date or (ii) attempts to cancel a passport reservation less than 24 hours before the passport reservation date, a cancellation fee will apply. Visa Issuing authority’s fees and availability of services are subject to change without notice. Fees and services may differ between the time the order is placed and when the ordered is completed. Vanguard will endeavour to communicate said changes to the client where possible in a timely manner. Vanguard reserves the right to select the most appropriate service available given the time constraints, as indicated by the client. All fees paid to an issuing authority by Vanguard on your behalf are non-refundable. In the event that a visa or passport application is submitted on the consumer behalf and the request is rejected for any reason, Vanguard will, at the consumer request, make one additional attempt to secure the travel document. You will be required to pay any additional fees assessed by the issuing authority and if the additional attempt is needed due to an error made by the client on a visa application Vanguard will charge a $50 service fee. Vanguard reserves the right to retain passports and documents until full payment is received. Vanguard service fees may vary according to the number of business processing days available to procure the service. Consulate closings and holidays are excluded for the purpose of counting the number of business days. Additionally, the consumer is required to pay any expenses incurred in the process of the visa application process. A separate Invoice of such expenses would be provided in a timely manner. Orders cancelled prior to submission will be assessed Vanguard service fees. Once the application has been submitted to the appropriate government agency, full fees will apply. Additional cancellation fees may be applied for early withdrawal of the application.
WARNING/DISCLAIMERS
The issuing authority will make the final determination as to the type of visa or passport, the time frame visa would be issued in and for what duration it will be issued. Prior to approval, the issuing authority may ask for additional documentation. The issuing authority may reject any visa, passport or other travel document application for any reason and may not provide a reason to Vanguard for the rejection. Vanguard does not issue visas or passports and therefore, cannot make any guarantee or assurances that any issuing authority will issue any document. Vanguard cannot guarantee the time required for an issuing authority to grant or reject an application. Issuing authorities may choose to grant a different type of travel document than that which the applicant has requested which may impact the purpose, validity or number of entries. As a result, nonrefundable tickets or reservations should not be purchased until all the required travel documents for your trip have been secured. Vanguard reserves the right to prioritize processing requests according to the travel dates provided. Vanguard service fees are assessed for taking reasonable actions to foster the issuance of requested travel documents.
Vanguard will use its best endeavours to process applications for visas, passports and/or documents at the client's request. However, Vanguard shall not be held responsible for, nor will accept any liability for, but not limited to the actions of any consulate, embassy, or passport office in delaying or not issuing such applications for any reason whatsoever. In addition, Vanguard shall not be held responsible for the expense and/or delay arising from or in connection with: (a) incomplete application forms or (b) incorrectly or falsely completed application forms or (c) inaccurate or incomplete supporting documentation. Any expense or cost incurred by the client due to these delays or non-issuance shall not be the responsibility of, nor shall any charges be levied upon Vanguard.
Vanguard provides visa and passport information in good faith and with the express understanding that the said information is the interpretation of any or all information provided by respective embassies, consulates or passport offices at any or all times and Vanguard shall not accept responsibility or liability whatsoever for any errors and/or omissions in the information.
Vanguard will endeavour, wherever possible, to process the client's visa, passport and/or document based on the instructions given and application forms submitted, although it is the client's express responsibility to ensure that the validity of the said visa/passport/document obtained includes and covers the periods of time in which the client plans to enter and leave the country or countries that the client is visiting and for the number of entries to that country and is valid for the purpose intended.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Should a passport, document or other item be lost, misplaced, damaged, delayed or destroyed, Vanguard shall only be liable if Vanguard is at fault and Vanguard’s liability shall be limited to the actual cost of the replacement cost of the passport not to exceed $500.00. Vanguard reserves the right in all instances to substitute a replacement of the documents that had been in Vanguard’s care and control in lieu of payment. Vanguard is not responsible for items misplaced, damaged, delayed or destroyed by a delivery service or issuing authority. Passport covers and other all documents including, but not limited to, original bank statements and educational and birth certificates, which were not requested for submission by Vanguard should be retained by the applicant. Vanguard accepts no responsibility for the loss or damage of such documents.
Vanguard accepts no liability for travelers electing to obtain on-arrival visas. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vanguard excludes and/or limits any direct, indirect or consequential damages, costs or expenses and all statutory or implied conditions and warranties, including, without limitation, lost income or profits or travel or holiday costs or any loss arising from information obtained from the Website. Subject to the other provisions of this section, our maximum liability for loss caused to you, whether under contract, tort, or otherwise, shall be limited to the losses and damages up to a maximum of $500 for which Vanguard is directly responsible and which can be wholly attributable to the incorrect provision of service by Vanguard.
Vanguard will not be responsible in any respect or for any amount for loss or delay caused by events that we cannot or do not control, including but not limited to acts of God, weather conditions, acts of public enemies, war, strikes, civil commotions, or acts or omissions of public authorities (including passport and embassy consular officials).
Nothing in this agreement excludes and/or limits our liability for (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or (c) any other matter for which it would be illegal for us to exclude or attempt to exclude our liability.
CLAIMS PERIOD
You have seventy two hours (72) after completion of work by Vanguard, beginning from the date of delivery of the visa (or if not delivered, from the date of order) to inform Vanguard of any claim related to Vanguard services. Once the relevant deadline has passed, any rights for rectification or compensation shall expire.
GENERAL
These Terms and any document expressly referred to therein, shall constitute the whole agreement between us and shall supersede all previous discussions, correspondence, negotiations, previous arrangement, understanding or agreement between us relating to the subject matter of any contract. If any provision of these Terms does not comply with any law, then the provision must be read down so as to give it as much effect as possible. If it is not possible to give the provision any effect at all, then it must be treated as severable from the rest of the Terms. Where Vanguard is unable to carry out any obligation under the contract due to any circumstance, matter or thing beyond its reasonable control (“force majeure”) Vanguard shall be excused from such obligations to the extent of such prevention, restriction or interference so caused. Vanguard may subcontract all or part of its obligations or assign all or part of its rights under this contract. This agreement does not create any right enforceable by a person who is not a party to it, except for any lawful successor or assignee. Any dispute arising under this agreement shall be governed by regulations of the Federal Trade Commission and both parties agree and consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state courts of Virginia situated in Fairfax County, Virginia or the federal courts situated in the Northern District of Virginia.