CIBTReviews of cibt.com

THIS COMPANY TOOK MY MONEY AND I DID NOT GET THE VISA. THEY SAY THEY REFUND MONEY IF YOU DON'T GET VISA, BUT THEY DID NOT REFUND MY MONEY

I paid 40£ for a visa to UK instead of 20£ by official site. Price was not dysplaied for the transaction and I discover lately it was twice the expected amount.

STEER CLEAR! We applied for China visas with CIBT. Working with this company was a nightmare. They have obviously recently set up the very complex application using cheap AI, which was totally out of control. We received 20 or so AI-generated emails that were crazy wrong. We would receive a signed email which made no sense, contact the signatory, and be told he had no idea where the email came from. This happened repeatedly. All of this was very stressful with an expensive trip hanging in the balance. When we set up our account we were made to pay before beginning the application. We authorized a payment of $58. $559 was charged to our credit card without any approval from us! Outrageous! That amount was for one of the two visas. So $1,100+ for two visas. Robbery. If there is a Chinese embassy nearby your home, be advised you can apply for visa directly through them. Total cost $140 each. We were disappointed our travel agent sent us to CIBT instead. DO NOT USE CIBT.

Very unclear about the charges until you get a 1120.00 invoice!!

Holland America Lines gave me CIBT's phone number to get information on visas for our Amazon River trip. I called and spoke to an unfriendly gentleman named Jack. I think a robot would have been more pleasant. He directed me to their website and then I asked the price. Their "convenience/processing fee" was more than the visa for Brazil!! Seriously? When I expressed dismay, he said we were lucky we had the HAL discount, because their normal fee is almost 3 times that. What a scam! I just googled visas for Brazil and was taken to a very simple, clear website with a 3-step process to apply directly with the Brazilian Government. I'm not writing a bad review because of what they charge...every company deserves to make a buck, and I'm sure plenty of people do pay it for the convenience. But the call was so unpleasant, and Jack was so condescending and unfriendly. (and zero sense of humor) That's what warrants the bad review. If you're charging top dollar, I at least expect good customer service. I was cheerful and happy when I got on the call, and annoyed and upset when I hung up. :(

I purchased the premium executive service and was terribly refused. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the overall guidance I received. Before submitting my UK visa application, I explained that I was concerned about applying at this time because of the uncertainty surrounding my U.S. immigration status and potential re-entry issues. I expressed that I preferred to postpone the application until my circumstances became stronger. However, I was encouraged to proceed because I had already paid for the service. I expected a more thorough assessment of my case and clearer advice on whether my application had a realistic chance of success. Instead, after the refusal, I was informed that I would likely need to wait until obtaining U.S. permanent residency before reapplying and that I would need to address each refusal point individually. As a client, I relied on professional guidance to help me determine the appropriate timing for my application. If the recommendation had been to wait until my circumstances were materially stronger, I would have gladly postponed rather than risk another refusal. The application required a significant investment of time, money, and effort, and because the service was non-refundable, the outcome was particularly disappointing. My feedback is about the quality of the strategic advice I received before the application was submitted. I hope this feedback encourages more candid assessments of applicants' circumstances so future clients can make informed decisions about whether to proceed or wait until they have a stronger case.

Order Reference: A1687362 I used CIBT Visas to assist with obtaining a Saudi Arabian one-year multi-entry visa for Mission and Organisation purposes. The service included document and photo checks, scheduling my appointment at the Tasheer Centre in London, passport collection, and return by Royal Mail Special Delivery. Unfortunately, my experience was overwhelmingly negative. To be fair, the consultants generally replied to emails promptly. However, beyond that, I found the service expensive, unnecessarily complicated, and lacking transparency. The first issue arose before the process had even started properly. I called the 0844 number listed on the CIBT website on a Saturday seeking advice, only to hear an automated message informing me the office was closed. The call lasted no more than 30–40 seconds, yet I later received a notification from EE stating I had been charged over £8.00 for calling a premium-rate number. I was shocked to discover that the number advertised on CIBT’s website generates revenue for the company. Charging customers premium rates simply to hear that the office is closed feels highly misleading. The next issue involved the document checking process. CIBT rejected my Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs invitation letter, claiming it lacked two reference numbers required to book the Tasheer appointment. This later proved to be incorrect, as the appointment was booked without those numbers being required. This caused unnecessary delays and confusion. I was also uncomfortable with the payment process. During registration, I was required to authorise a £0.00 payment through my banking app, which granted CIBT ongoing authority to withdraw funds directly from my account. Shortly afterwards, more than £820.00 was withdrawn before an invoice had even been issued to me. This included a Saudi Arabia Consular Handling Fee (£402.23) and Consular Fulfilment Fee (£85.15), despite the fact that these Consular fees were ultimately paid directly inside the Tasheer Centre during my appointment. When I queried these charges, I received contradictory explanations from different members of staff. One consultant informed me that I should not have been charged the consular fees, that a refund would be issued and CIBT were waiting for their systems to be updated. Days later, the UK Operations Manager provided a conflicting explanation. Although the money was eventually refunded, the process was confusing and lacked transparency throughout. I replied directly to the UK Operations Manager outlining my concerns regarding being charged for services not rendered and the lack of clarity surrounding the consular fees, but I never received any further response. The actual appointment at the Tasheer Centre was straightforward and efficient. Ironically, the consultant inside the Tasheer Centre openly commented that companies such as CIBT often overcomplicate what is otherwise a relatively simple process. Based on my experience, I unfortunately agree. Before entering the centre, the CIBT representative strongly advised me not to use the Tasheer Centre’s DHL return service, which costs approximately £10.00 for guaranteed next-day passport delivery. Instead, CIBT charged £19.20 for Royal Mail Special Delivery. I later regretted following this advice. The final issue involved the return of my passport. I tracked my passport through the Tasheer system and could see that it had already been collected by a named CIBT representative. However, at the same time, CIBT staff were emailing me claiming they were still “in the queue” waiting to collect it. They then informed me that my passport could no longer be returned by next-day delivery because of delays returning to their office. When I pointed out the contradiction using the Tasheer tracking information, my emails were ignored. In the end, despite paying premium prices for supposedly expedited handling and next-day return, my passport was delayed for several additional days over the bank holiday weekend. Overall, I found CIBT Visas to be an expensive intermediary that added complexity, confusion, delays, and unnecessary costs to what was otherwise a straightforward visa application process. In my opinion, the company provided very little actual support while charging substantial fees for services that were either unclear, duplicated, or not meaningfully rendered. I would strongly encourage anyone considering using CIBT Visas for Saudi visa applications to carefully review all charges, payment authorisations, and exactly what services they are truly receiving for the money.

I would give them a zero if that were an option. For a China visa application they just kept writing that something was wrong with my work history without any information on what was wrong. And eventually I couldn't even access my application. I would never use this company again. There are other visa service providers